The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Ghana risks losing its status as WAEC’s international headquarters to Nigeria due to an alarming GHS73 million debt owed by the government of Ghana.
WAEC’s financial stability has been severely impacted since the government began financing the examination fees for BECE and WASSCE candidates in public schools. While this policy has alleviated the financial burden on parents, frequent delays in government payments have disrupted WAEC’s operations, often causing delays in the marking and release of BECE and WASSCE results.
Funds owed to WAEC by the Government of Ghana as of 20th November 2024 was estimated at 155.86 million. Some of the debts date back to the 2022 WASSCE. As of December 2022, the government owed WAEC 9.97 million. In 2023, WAEC was owed additional 30.49 million. By the end of the 2024 BECE and WASSE government’s debt went up by an additional $4.94 million.
| Category | Amount Owed (GH₵) | Payments Received (GH₵) | Outstanding Balance (GH₵) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BECE 2024 | 95.84 million | 90.90 million | 4.94 million |
| WASSCE 2023 | 106.47 million | 75.98 million | 30.49 million |
| WASSCE 2022 | 9.97 million | 9.97 million | |
| Total | 212.28 million | 166.88 million | 155.86 million |
The fate of the 2024 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results hangs in the balance as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) grapples with a crippling debt exceeding GH₵155 million owed by the government.
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For instance, in 2024, WAEC had to wait until the eleventh hour for government funding to mark the 2024 BECE scripts. This led to delays in releasing results since marking was postponed at least twice. The council now faces mounting financial pressure, jeopardizing its ability to carry out its core functions effectively.
GhanaEducation.org has learned that Ghana may soon lose WAEC’s international headquarters status to Nigeria if the government does not settle the outstanding debt. This development poses significant risks to WAEC Ghana’s reputation and its capacity to maintain smooth examination processes.
Read: Gov’t yet to clear 2021 BECE, WASSCE debt owed WAEC – Minority
WAEC is urgently appealing to the government to clear the debt to ensure its continued operations and safeguard its international standing. If the government delays in paying the current GHS73 million owed WAEC, the results of WASSCE (SC) will delay, and that will also delay admissions into universities across the country.
The Ghana Education News Editorial Team is a specialized collective of education researchers, journalists, and policy analysts dedicated to providing high-fidelity reporting on the Ghanaian academic landscape. Serving as a primary bridge between governing bodies—including the Ghana Education Service (GES) and WAEC—and the public, the team leverages over a decade of combined experience to serve students, parents, and educators nationwide.
Lead Architect & Editor-in-Chief
The team is led by Wisdom Kojo Eli Hammond, a distinguished Ghanaian Edu-Tech Entrepreneur, AI Solutions Developer, and Product Architect with over 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience in education, finance, and digital media. Wisdom is the visionary force behind SkulManager, Ghana’s premier school management ecosystem, and the Lead Consultant at Education-News Consult.
A self-taught innovator, professional Web Designer, and regular columnist on GhanaWeb, Wisdom engineered SkulManager.com as the only platform strictly tailored to the GES Curriculum. His technical leadership has redefined educational assessment through a Hybrid Marking Ecosystem, pioneering the BECE and WASSCE Home Mock services—a unique fusion of WAEC-trained human examiners and advanced AI marking engines operational since 2022.
Wisdom’s 360-degree view of institutional challenges is grounded in his tenure as College President and Lecturer at Pinnacle College (Achimota), as well as his background as a school administrator and accountant. He is a dedicated lifelong learner currently advancing his studies at the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), with academic ties to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
An accomplished author, his works include Returnees of the Dead Forest (UK Published), Simplified Beacon of Light (850+ Q&A), and The Leader in Me. A foundational pillar of the award-winning NGO Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Wisdom is committed to building intelligent systems that solve societal problems and prepare the next generation of Ghanaian students for a digital future.
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