The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says it has cancelled manual confirmation or stamping of certificates of candidates who sat for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination from 1999 till date.

A statement by WAEC’s Head of National Office (HNO) for Nigeria, Patrick Areghan said this was due to the recently innovated WAEC Digital Certificate Platform designed for a seamless and timely mode of availing stakeholders of their candidates’ certificates.

The platform, which was developed by Botosoft Technologies, and involves mobile and web-based applications, was unveiled Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the WAEC International Office in Lagos.

“The West African Examinations Council Nigeria is pleased to inform institutions, organisations, agencies, embassies, high commissions, and the general public that the Council will no longer provide manual confirmation or stamping of certificates of candidates who sat the WASSCE from 1999 till date, as the Council has launched the WAEC Digital Certificate Platform for a seamless and timely mode of availing stakeholders of their candidates’ certificates.”

He stated that efforts were underway to expand the platform to accommodate candidates from 1980 and updates would be provided to the public as they became available.

“The WAEC Digital Certificate Platform allows candidates to access, download, and share their original WAEC certificates. Institutions and organisations can also promptly and securely confirm the certificates of candidates.”

Areghan, who disclosed that it will cost N7,500 for new and old candidates to assess the platform, N3,500 to share, and N5,000 for certificate confirmation to “eliminate fraud and send fakers out of the market,” stressing that candidates can generate certificates online and recover burnt, lost, and damaged certificates from 1999 to date are eligible for such recovery.

According to the Council, the platform would enable over 30 million certificate holders to access and share the original copies of their certificates from anywhere in the world, and also be used to recover candidates’ forgotten or lost examination numbers, noting that its many security doors make it impossible to hack.”