Nigeria’s two main examination bodies, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will entirely switch to computer-based testing from 2026.
The move has drawn support from education experts and civil society, who say it will modernise assessment but warn that poor infrastructure and patchy connectivity could undermine its success.
At a webinar on Thursday, organised by DIniti8tive and the Quality Education Development Associates (QEDA), former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka said the digital shift was inevitable. He urged telecoms companies to improve coverage and called on examination bodies to create offline options to avoid excluding rural pupils.
“Challenges will remain, but we cannot retreat from building digital infrastructure,” he said. Constitutional lawyer Evans Ufeli suggested a phased approach, arguing for a ten-year transition period to allow sensitisation and wider investment.
WAEC official Audu Emmanuel said servers had been distributed to almost all centres nationwide after successful pilot tests. At the same time, QEDA’s Dr Nurudeen Lawal disclosed that 1.9 million children had already registered for the 2026 CBT. He emphasised the importance of stable power, solar backup, and teacher training to facilitate the transition.
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