West African Examinations Council

West African Examinations Council

Abbreviation	WAEC
Formation	1952
Location	Headquarters in Accra, Ghana
Services	School tests and certificates
Official language	English
Website	www.waecdirect.org www.waecnigeria.org

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is a group that gives tests (examinations) to students in West Africa. It was started in 1952. WAEC is a non-profit group that runs tests in five English-speaking countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, the Gambia, and Liberia.

Its main job is to create and run tests that are needed in these countries. It also gives certificates to students who pass. These certificates must be as good as those from other important examination groups in the world. Every year, more than three million students take tests run by WAEC. WAEC helps make sure that education standards are similar across all its member countries.

History

How the Council was started (1948–1953)

The idea for WAEC came from a meeting in 1948 between education groups from the UK and West Africa. They asked Dr. George Barker Jeffery to study the education system in West Africa. His report said that the area needed its own examination group.

Based on his report, the governments of Ghana (then called the Gold Coast), Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia passed laws in 1951 to create WAEC. The Council was officially started in 1952 with its main office in Accra, Ghana. The first big meeting of the Council was held in Accra in March 1953. At first, WAEC helped run tests from the UK, like O-Levels and A-Levels, while it started creating its own tests for West Africa.

Growing and becoming more independent (1960s–1980s)

Liberia joined WAEC in 1974, becoming the fifth member country. Over time, WAEC created its own tests that were made for West African students. These new tests slowly replaced the old ones from the UK.

In 1982, the member governments signed a law called the WAEC Convention. This law gave WAEC the same legal power in all five countries and made it a true international group. The Convention also decided that the job of Council Chairman would be shared between the member countries, changing every three years.

New tests and big events (1990s–2000s)

By the 1980s, each country had its own school system. Nigeria started the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). WAEC helped run these new national tests.

Later, in the 1990s and 2000s, WAEC created the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). This became the main, single test for high school students in all member countries. Ghana used its own test (the SSSCE) until it switched completely to WASSCE in 2006. Liberia also switched to WASSCE for its high school students by 2018.

In 2002, WAEC had its 50th birthday. A big celebration was held in Abuja, Nigeria, with the theme “WAEC: 50 Years of Excellence.”

How the Council is Organized

WAEC is run by its five member countries together.

• Governing Council: This is the group that makes the most important decisions. It has 34 members from the governments, universities, and schools of the five countries. The Council meets once a year. The job of Chairman of the Council is given to a different country every three years.
• Committees: WAEC uses many committees to do its work.
  • International Committees: work on rules and policies for all five countries.
  • National Committees: work on issues for just one country.
• Leaders and Offices:
  • The Registrar is the chief executive officer (CEO) of WAEC and is in charge of the main office in Accra, Ghana. The Registrar manages the work across all five countries.
  • Each country has a National Office led by a Head of National Office (HNO). This office runs all of WAEC's work in that country, like signing up students and running the tests.

Tests given by WAEC

WAEC runs many kinds of tests. The two main types are international and national.

• West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE): This is the most important test WAEC gives. High school students take it in their final year to get a certificate for university or work.
  • WASSCE for School Candidates: This is for students in school. It is held once a year around May and June. Students are tested on subjects like English, Maths, and science, as well as other subjects they choose.
  • WASSCE for Private Candidates: This is also called GCE and is for people who are not in school. It is offered two times a year.

Students get grades from A1 (Excellent) to F9 (Fail). To get into a university, students usually need at least five "credit" passes (C6 or better), including in English and Maths.

• Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE): Students in Ghana take this test to finish junior high school and get into senior high school.
• WAEC also runs other business and technical exams in some countries.

Going Digital: New Technology at WAEC

In recent years, WAEC has started using new technology to make its services better.

• Digital Certificate Platform: This was started in 2022. It is a website and a mobile app that lets people get a digital (online) copy of their WAEC certificate. They can see it, share it with schools or jobs, and check if a certificate is real. This helps stop fraud and makes getting a certificate faster.
• Computer-Based Testing (CBT): WAEC is starting to move from paper tests to computer tests. In 2024, it ran a test for private candidates where students answered some questions on a computer and wrote essays on paper. By 2025, WAEC plans to use computer tests for some parts of the main WASSCE for schools. This will help reduce cheating because the computer can mix up the questions for each student.
• WAEC Konnect: This is a social media app made by WAEC for students. They can join study groups, ask questions, get exam tips, and receive news from WAEC. It is a safe place for students to get official information.
• EDUSTAT: This is a new tool started in 2023. It gives governments, schools, and researchers data on how students have performed in WAEC tests over many years. This helps them make better decisions about education.

Problems and Criticisms

Over its long history, WAEC has faced some problems.

• Exam Cheating and Leaks: The biggest problem for WAEC has been cheating. In the 1970s, there were big scandals like the "Owosho scandal" and "Expo '77" where test questions were leaked before the exam day. In recent years, some supervisors have been caught taking pictures of test papers after the exam has started and sharing them online. WAEC says these are not "leaks" but cheating by a few bad people. To fight this, WAEC cancels the results of students caught cheating and is now using computer tests.
• "Miracle Centers": This is a name for special schools or exam centers where a lot of cheating happens. In 2025, WAEC in Nigeria punished 574 schools that were found to be helping with organized cheating.
• Syllabus and Subjects: Some people say that WAEC is too slow to update the subjects it offers. WAEC says it does update its subjects with help from the member countries' education ministries, and adds new ones like Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Money Problems: WAEC sometimes has money problems when governments are late in paying their share. In 2024, WAEC in Ghana warned that it might not be able to release test results on time because the government owed it a lot of money.

How WAEC is Funded

WAEC is a non-profit group and gets its money from two main places:

1. Examination Fees: Students pay a fee to sign up for tests. These fees are kept low because education is seen as a social service. In many cases, the government pays the fees for students in public schools.
2. Money from Governments: The five member governments give money to WAEC every year to help cover its costs. The amount each country pays is based on how many students it has. Nigeria pays the largest share (over 50%) because it has the most students.