NECO Expands to Burkina Faso After Passing Accreditation

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has broadened its international footprint to Burkina Faso after schools in the country successfully met the requirements to host both the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

A NECO accreditation team visited the selected schools to evaluate their preparedness for the examinations.

According to a statement issued by NECO’s spokesperson, Azeez Sani, the team reviewed a wide range of facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, ICT centres, workshops, examination halls, sports areas, continuous assessment records, teacher availability, and overall school security to confirm whether they met NECO’s standards.

After a detailed inspection and full assessment, the schools were officially granted accreditation to conduct SSCE and BECE.

NECO described this milestone as further proof of its dedication to delivering quality assessment services beyond Nigeria’s borders.

It’s worth noting that National Examinations Council recently launched a centre in London, United Kingdom, adding to existing centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.

In a related update, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Ambassador M.D. Galadima, applauded National Examinations Council for extending its operations to the country. During a courtesy visit by the accreditation team to the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou, he explained that Nigerian parents in Burkina Faso had long struggled with differences in the educational system and a shortage of English-medium schools.

He noted that many families previously had to take their children to Saki, Oyo State, for registration and exams—an arrangement that exposed them to security risks and imposed significant financial stress on both parents and school proprietors.

The ambassador added that accrediting schools in Burkina Faso would ease these challenges by removing the travel burden and reducing costs for families and school owners.

He encouraged Nigerians living in the country to take advantage of the opportunity by enrolling their children for NECO’s SSCE and BECE.

Meanwhile, the head of NECO’s accreditation team, Dr. Uche Ezenwanne, stated that the approval of schools in Burkina Faso allows Nigerian students living there to take NECO exams locally, further solidifying NECO’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading examination bodies.