The National Examinations Council (NECO) has officially expanded its reach by granting accreditation to selected schools in Burkina Faso for the conduct of its Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The decision marks a significant milestone in NECO’s drive to broaden its footprint beyond Nigeria’s shores.
In a statement issued from Abuja, the council’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, confirmed that a full accreditation status has been granted after a thorough evaluation of the institutions concerned. Schools in Burkina Faso are now cleared to host official NECO examinations.
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What the accreditation involves
Before accreditation was awarded, a team from NECO conducted a comprehensive visit to the candidate schools in Burkina Faso. Their assessment covered a broad range of infrastructure and institutional needs: inspection of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer labs, workshops, examination halls, sports facilities, and general security architecture.
Additionally, the inspectors reviewed Continuous Assessment (CA) records, teacher numbers and qualifications, and the overall learning environment to ensure the schools met NECO’s standards. Only after what the council described as a “thorough and detailed evaluation” was full accreditation granted.
NECO emphasised that giving accreditation to schools in a non-Nigerian country reflects its commitment to delivering quality education and assessment services beyond national borders. The move signals the council’s ambitions to become a continental examination authority for students not just in Nigeria, but across Africa and overseas.
Relief for Nigerian families abroad
Officials from the Nigerian diplomatic circle in Burkina Faso welcomed the decision. M.D. Galadima, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, described the accreditation as a much-needed relief for Nigerian families living in the country. For years, students had to travel to Nigeria, often to towns like Saki in Oyo State, to register and sit for NECO exams. That journey exposed families to security risks, travel costs, and logistical burdens.
According to the ambassador, the lack of English-language schools in some parts of Burkina Faso and differences between educational systems made access difficult for Nigerian expatriates. With the new accreditation, these complications are removed, offering convenience and peace of mind to parents and guardians.
Authorities have encouraged the Nigerian community residing in Burkina Faso to seize the opportunity and register their children for SSCE and BECE locally, rather than enduring the previous hardships tied to registration in Nigeria.
Bolstering NECO’s continental standing
For NECO, this development is part of a broader strategy to cement its status as a leading examination authority across Africa. The council pointed out that it already runs examination centres outside Nigeria, including in London (United Kingdom), and several African countries such as Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.
The expansion into Burkina Faso is therefore both strategic and symbolic. It underlines NECO’s ambition to offer standardised examination services to Nigerian students abroad, and potentially to foreign nationals seeking internationally recognised certification in English-based academic environments. According to NECO’s leadership, this could pave the way for enhanced academic mobility and regional integration within West Africa and beyond.
Commenting on the move, the head of NECO’s accreditation team, Uche Ezenwanne, said that the decision would help Nigerian students resident in Burkina Faso avoid the hardship of travelling back home just to sit exams. It is a step the council hopes will reinforce its positioning as a trusted examination authority continent-wide.
With the accreditation of Burkina Faso schools to host SSCE and BECE, NECO delivers both convenience for families abroad and expands its ambition to lead in education evaluation across Africa. The move resonates with the growing demand for cross–border educational mobility and reflects evolving dynamics in regional academic collaboration.
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