11 Marina Parade, P M B 158, Banjul, The Gambia

info@waecgambia.org
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Our History

The West African Examinations Council was established following the acceptance of the Jeffery Report by the colonial Government(s) in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), Sierra Leone and The Gambia, who passed appropriate ordinances in their Legislative Assemblies in 1951. The ordinances charge the Council with the responsibility of determining the examinations required in the public interest in West Africa, and empowered it to conduct such examinations and award appropriate certificates.

The Jeffery Report had recommended the setting up of a West African Examinations Council in the then four British colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. Liberia later joined the Council in 1974. The ordinances have now been replaced with the Convention which confers legal personality on the Council as an international organization.

The Jeffery Report

The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the University of London School Examinations Matriculation Council and West African Departments of Education met in 1948 concerning education in West Africa. They appointed Dr. George Barker Jeffery, Director of the University of London Institute of Education, to visit the region and assess the general education level and requirements.

At the end of Jeffery’s three-month visit (December 1949 – March 1950) to Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, he tendered a report strongly supporting the need for a West African Examination Council and making detailed recommendations on its composition and duties. Following this report, the governments agreed to establish the Council, fully adopting Jeffery’s recommendations.

The Establishment of the Council

The legislative assemblies of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia passed an ordinance approving the Council in December 1951. Liberia later issued its ordinance in 1974, at the annual meeting held in Lagos, Nigeria.

After the success of forming an examination council, the Council called a first meeting in Accra, Ghana in March 1953. The registrar briefed members on the progress of the Council. Five committees were formed to assist the Council, and 26 people were present.

Attendance of the first meeting

  • Mr. A. N. Galsworthy (Chairman of the Council)
  • George Barker Jeffery (Chief Secretary of the West African Inter-Territorial Secretariat)
  • Mr. J. L. Brereton (Secretary of the Cambridge Syndicate)
  • 13 members nominated by the governments of Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia
  • 10 observers, including Constance Rulka, later Chief Examiner and Assistant Registrar in charge of English examinations

The Banjul Office

Before June 1972 the affairs of the Council in The Gambia, which were relatively small, were taken care of by the Ministry of Education. In 1972 Miss Dorothy Armah was appointed as the first Head of National Office in The Gambia to start the pioneering work in the establishment of the Banjul Office of Council. Mr Charles S. Y. Jow took over from Miss Armah as Head of National Office and in 1975 an application was made to The Gambia Government for its own buildings, custom-made to suit its unique requirements. No. 11 Marina Parade — a former residential quarters for expatriate staff — was made available to Council and the building was adapted to suit Council’s requirements.

Unfortunately, in April 1997 the building was gutted by fire, and was refurbished in 1997. In addition the Government of The Gambia assisted Council in the construction of two other new buildings that were also commissioned in 1999.

Over the years the Council has developed a team of well-trained and highly motivated staff and has administered examinations that are both valid and relevant to the educational aspirations of member countries. Its certificates enjoy international recognition. WAEC has also been promoting the ideals of hard work and honesty in the youth through its awards for outstanding performance in its examinations.