Nigeria is set to welcome education and assessment experts from across Africa in 2027 after the National Examinations Council (NECO) secured the right to host the next Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) Conference in Abuja.
The conference will take place from August 16 to 20, 2027, following a decision endorsed by the AEAA General Assembly at its 42nd annual conference in Arusha, Tanzania.
The development comes with another major achievement for Nigeria’s education sector. NECO Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, has been elected Vice-President of the AEAA.
According to Voice of Nigeria, the twin developments reflect Nigeria’s growing influence in educational assessment at a time when examination systems across Africa are facing pressure to embrace digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
Also Read: Nigeria Begins NBTE Restructuring as KPMG Assesses Technical Education System
Nigeria Set to Take Centre Stage in African Educational Assessment
Hosting the 2027 AEAA Conference gives Nigeria an opportunity to place its examination and assessment reforms under the spotlight.
The event is expected to attract policymakers, researchers, examination administrators and education specialists from different parts of Africa. NECO said the conference will provide an avenue for Nigeria to showcase reforms taking place in educational assessment while encouraging professional exchange among African assessment bodies.
The timing is particularly significant.
The 42nd AEAA Conference in Arusha, which ended on August 21, focused heavily on the growing influence of artificial intelligence on examinations. The official conference programme identified the theme as “Rethinking Educational Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Discussions included AI-powered assessment, e-assessment security, data-driven education policy and the use of technology in continuous and competency-based assessment.
For Nigeria, these conversations are increasingly relevant as the country continues to expand digital approaches to education and examinations.
The 2027 gathering could therefore become an important platform for discussing how African countries can develop assessment systems that are technologically advanced without compromising examination integrity, fairness and access.
NECO Registrar Wushishi Elected AEAA Vice-President
The hosting announcement was accompanied by the election of Prof. Wushishi as Vice-President of the continental assessment organisation.
His election follows his previous service on the AEAA Executive Council, where he represented the West African sub-region. THISDAY reported that his elevation comes as African examination bodies increasingly grapple with digital transformation and artificial intelligence in testing and certification.
Channels Television also reported that Wushishi has overseen reforms at NECO since becoming Registrar in 2021, including efforts to modernise examination administration, expand technological infrastructure and increase the council’s international reach.
NECO says its examinations are now conducted in eight foreign countries, extending the council’s activities beyond Nigeria.
This international expansion could make Nigeria’s role at the AEAA more significant, particularly as African countries seek ways to improve the credibility, accessibility and security of their examination systems.
Also Read: What Nigeria Can Learn from India’s AI-Powered Examination Reform
Back Story
The decision to award Nigeria the 2027 conference follows the conclusion of the 42nd AEAA Conference hosted by Tanzania’s National Examinations Council in Arusha from August 17 to 21, 2026. The official Tanzanian examination council programme confirms that the gathering brought assessment stakeholders together to examine the future of testing in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
The discussions in Arusha also highlighted one of the biggest challenges facing examination bodies today: how to benefit from artificial intelligence while protecting the integrity of assessments.
During the conference, African examination authorities were urged to invest in digital security, data analytics and AI-powered tools capable of identifying examination irregularities. At the same time, experts stressed that technology should support professional judgement rather than replace it.
The AEAA has also warned against Africa becoming overly dependent on assessment technologies and frameworks developed elsewhere. Its president, Dr Eshetu Gichoro, called for African countries to build independent, technology-driven assessment systems suited to the continent’s own educational realities.
Nigeria’s hosting role in 2027 therefore comes at a critical point.
Beyond the prestige of bringing a major continental education conference to Abuja, NECO will have the opportunity to place Nigeria at the centre of discussions about the future of examinations in Africa.
With artificial intelligence changing how students learn, prepare for examinations and produce academic work, the 2027 AEAA Conference could provide an important forum for African education leaders to develop practical approaches that protect examination standards while taking advantage of new technology.
