The 73rd Annual Council Meeting of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has ended in Monrovia, Liberia with the election of Liberia’s Chief Government Nominee on Council, Honourable Amos Armah Fully, as Vice
Chairman for a one-year tenure. He succeeds Mr. Edward Kpakra of Sierra Leone.
The meeting, which was held from Monday, 17th to Friday, 21st March 2025, was declared open by His Excellency, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia.
In a keynote address, President Boakai congratulated WAEC on its 73rd
anniversary and stated that this 73rd-year journey of the Council is a testament to the resilience of the educational systems in the sub-region and the commitment of its educators in nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.
He noted that WAEC has been at the forefront of educational assessment in West Africa for more than half a century, ensuring that students receive credible and standardized examinations. He added that the Council has played very well its part in providing a framework that allows for transparency, accountability, and fairness in assessing academic achievements across the region.
The President stressed that WAEC has also been instrumental in, facilitating a common curriculum, ensuring quality assurance, and promoting regional integration, and urged that it should recognize the urgency and importance of creating inclusive examination policies and practices. He stated further that it is essential that the Council design testing environments that are accessible to students with disabilities,
ensuring that they have equal opportunities to showcase their skills and earn the qualifications they deserve.
In her speech, the Honourable Minister of Education, Liberia, Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, noted that the Annual Council Meeting “brings together key stakeholders from WAEC member countries to discuss critical issues affecting the development and administration of the Council’s examinations”.
According to her, Liberia remains committed to strengthening the collaboration between WAEC and the respective member governments.She
urged that “as we deliberate on matters that will shape the future of education in West Africa, let us reaffirm our dedication to ensuring the credibility, accessibility, and effectiveness of WAEC’s examinations”.
At the formal opening of the meeting,Council honoured three Ghanaian candidates with the WAEC International Excellence Award for their outstanding performance in WASSCE for School Candidates,2024.
They were Master David Nii Commey
Ankrah, (1st Prize), Master Henschel Tabi Frempong-Manso, (2nd Prize), and Master Benedict Ofori Debrah(3rd Prize).The three candidates were selected from 2,455,063 who sat the examination in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.The Augustus Bandele Oyediran Award for the Best Candidate in West Africa, 2024 also went to Master David Nii Commey Ankrah.
On the same August occasion, the prestigious award of Distinguished Friend of Council was conferred on an eminent citizen of Liberia-Mrs.Hawah Sharon Goll-Kotchi-for her outstanding contributions towards the achievement of the Council’s objectives.
Council, which is WAEC’s governing board, holds its meeting yearly in rotation among the five member countries, namely:The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.The 72nd Meeting was hosted in Freetown, in 2024 by the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and by the invitation of Ghana’s
delegation, the 74h edition will be hosted by the Government of Ghana in March 2026.
The meeting which lasted for a week,was attended by delegates from all the member countries.They included nominees of the governments, representatives of ministries /departments of education, universities, secondary schools, and other interest groups. The meeting be g a n with the 30th in the series of the Council’s Annual Endowment Fund Lectures entitled, “Digital Transformation in
Education:To AI or Not to AI”, delivered by the President of Cuttington University, Liberia-Dr.Romelle Alexzyn Horton.
In the course of the meeting, Council received reports on WAEC’s operations in the preceding year as well as information on educational programmes and developments in the five member countries. Council also ratified the decisions of its various committees taken in the previous year and considered action
points from the national offices that can strategically position them to meet the yearnings and aspirations of stakeholders in their respective domains.
Council received with acclamation the Registrar’s Annual Report for the Period
April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025,and a report from the Research Department of WAEC and stressed the need for more collaboration in the dissemination of the research reports so that policymakers can access the information necessary for the development of policies relevant to the improvement of education in the sub-region.
At the end of the week-long meeting,the Chairman of Council,Prof.Thomas B.R.Yormah, expressed appreciation to the Government and good people of Liberia for the wonderful hospitality accorded the delegates and for doing everything necessary to ensure the success of the meeting.
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