The National Examinations Council (NECO) has extended its operations to Burkina Faso after granting full accreditation to selected schools in the country to host its examinations.
The announcement was issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani. According to him, NECO will now conduct both the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Burkina Faso, following a comprehensive assessment visit by its accreditation team.
Sani explained that the team inspected various facilities—including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer rooms, workshops, examination halls, sports areas, and security structures—to determine the schools’ readiness. The evaluators also reviewed Continuous Assessment records, teacher availability, and the overall learning environment before granting approval.
He noted that the expansion into Burkina Faso highlights NECO’s dedication to strengthening educational standards and extending its assessment services beyond Nigeria. With this development, he said, NECO continues to position itself as one of Africa’s leading examination bodies, serving learners across multiple countries.
Sani also recalled the council’s recent establishment of an examination centre in London, adding to existing centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Amb. M.D. Galadima, praised the development, describing it as a major relief for Nigerian families living in the country. He noted that many parents had previously struggled with mismatched educational systems and the absence of English-language schools.
Before now, Galadima said, families were compelled to take their children to Saki in Oyo State to register and sit for NECO exams—an arrangement that exposed them to security risks and significant financial costs. He added that the new accreditation would eliminate these challenges and ease the financial pressure on parents.
The ambassador encouraged Nigerians in Burkina Faso to take full advantage of the opportunity by enrolling their children for NECO examinations.
Leader of the accreditation team, Dr. Uche Ezenwanne, said the move would allow Nigerian students in Burkina Faso to write SSCE and BECE without returning to Nigeria, reinforcing NECO’s growing influence as a major examination body in Africa.
