The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially launched its Digital Certificate Services System, known as WAEC DigiCert, across its five member countries — Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The development was announced in a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC Headquarters in Accra, Ghana, Demianus Ojijeogu, on behalf of the Registrar.
According to the Council, WAEC DigiCert is a mobile and web-based platform designed to modernise certificate access and verification for candidates, institutions and other stakeholders.
“The Digital Certificate Services platform is a mobile and Web-based application that provides enormous benefits to the various stakeholders,” WAEC said. “It offers simple features that enable users to access, request, confirm or share digital forms of the original certificates.”
WAEC added that the platform also allows candidates to recover lost WAEC examination numbers, a challenge that has long affected certificate processing.
Reassuring users about the credibility of the system, the Council stated: “The system is reliable, the authenticity of the certificates is guaranteed, and the cost benefits to users cannot be overstated.”
The examination body disclosed that the platform followed a successful pilot phase in Nigeria, noting that WAEC DigiCert “received positive feedback from candidates and educational institutions worldwide.”
Encouraging widespread adoption, WAEC urged stakeholders to embrace the new system to eliminate delays associated with manual processes. “Stakeholders are advised to use WAEC DigiCert to avoid administrative challenges and bottlenecks associated with manual certificate issuance and collection,” the statement read.
However, the Council clarified that the innovation does not replace physical certificates. “The usual printing and issuance of certificates will not be affected by this innovation,” WAEC assured.
The mobile application is available for download on the App Store and Google Play Store for iOS and Android devices, respectively. Additional information can be accessed via WAEC’s official website and social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Council also announced the release of the Second Series Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for private candidates conducted last year.
Candidates were advised to check their results on www.waecdirect.org to confirm their status before proceeding to www.waec.org to access their released digital certificate copies through the WAEC DigiCert platform.
