The National Examinations Council (NECO) has accredited several schools in Burkina Faso to serve as centres for its examinations, further extending its international operations.

This was announced in a statement issued in Abuja by the council’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani.

According to Sani, NECO will now conduct both the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the West African country. The decision followed a comprehensive assessment carried out by an accreditation team, which inspected selected schools to determine their readiness.

“The team examined the facilities available in the schools, including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer rooms, workshops, examination halls, sports amenities, and overall security arrangements. They also evaluated Continuous Assessment records, staff strength, and the general learning environment,” he said.

Sani explained that, after a detailed review, the schools were found suitable and granted full accreditation to host NECO examinations.

He added that the expansion into Burkina Faso reflects NECO’s commitment to delivering quality educational assessment across borders. With this development and its growing international presence, NECO aims to strengthen its position as a leading examination body in Africa, offering its services to both Nigerian students and learners from other nations.

Sani also noted that the council recently established an examination centre in London, United Kingdom, complementing its existing centres in Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Saudi Arabia.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Ambassador M.D. Galadima, applauded the initiative, saying it would ease long-standing challenges faced by Nigerian families in the country due to differences in educational systems and limited access to English-language schools.

He explained that many parents previously had to travel with their children to Saki in Oyo State to register and sit for NECO examinations—an arrangement that posed security risks and imposed significant financial strain on families and school owners.

Galadima noted that the new accreditation would eliminate these difficulties and reduce the economic burden on parents. He encouraged Nigerians living in Burkina Faso to take full advantage of the opportunity by enrolling their children for NECO exams locally.

The head of the accreditation team, Dr. Uche Ezenwanne, added that the development would ensure that Nigerian students residing in Burkina Faso can sit for SSCE and BECE without the need to travel back to Nigeria, thereby strengthening NECO’s leadership role among Africa’s examination bodies.