The Registrar/Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, has been elected Vice-President of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA), while NECO has secured the rights to host the association’s 2027 conference in Abuja.
The twin decisions were endorsed by the AEAA General Assembly at the just-concluded 42nd Conference of the association in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to a statement by the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, the developments underscore Nigeria’s growing influence in educational assessment across Africa amid the increasing adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in testing and certification.
Wushishi’s election follows his service on the AEAA Executive Council as representative of the West African sub region. Since assuming office as NECO Registrar in 2021, he has overseen reforms aimed at modernising examination administration, expanding the council’s technological infrastructure and strengthening its international presence.
NECO examinations are currently conducted in eight foreign countries, extending the council’s operations beyond Nigeria.
The 2027 AEAA Conference, scheduled for August 16–20, 2027, will provide Nigeria an opportunity to showcase its reforms in educational assessment while bringing together policymakers, researchers, examination administrators and education experts from across Africa.
Born on April 5, 1965, in Wushishi, Niger State, Wushishi is a scholar of Science Education with a specialisation in Chemistry Education. Before his appointment as NECO Registrar, he had an academic career at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and the Federal University of Technology, Minna, where he held positions including Head of Department, Postgraduate Coordinator and Sub-Dean.
His reappointment as NECO Registrar by President Bola Tinubu earlier this year was widely viewed as an endorsement of the technological and administrative reforms implemented under his leadership.
The latest developments in Arusha further reinforce Nigeria’s position within Africa’s educational assessment community and highlight the country’s growing role in shaping the continent’s evolving examination landscape.
