The West African Examinations Council has unveiled a region-wide digital certificate service, WAEC DigiCert, designed to transform how millions of candidates and institutions access and verify academic records across West Africa.

The platform is now operational in all five WAEC member countries Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, marking one of the council’s most significant technological upgrades since its establishment.

WAEC DigiCert is a mobile and web-based system that allows candidates to obtain secure digital versions of their original certificates, share them with universities, employers and scholarship bodies, and request confirmation of results without visiting WAEC offices.

Through the platform, users can create an account, search for their examination records, and generate verifiable digital certificates that carry embedded security features. These can be shared electronically with third parties, who in turn can authenticate them in real time, reducing the risk of forgery and the delays associated with manual verification.

The council explained that one of the most practical features of the service is the ability for candidates to recover lost or forgotten examination numbers, a common challenge that has historically hindered certificate retrieval and result confirmation.

WAEC stressed that the system has undergone extensive testing, including a pilot phase in Nigeria, where it reportedly received strong approval from both candidates and educational institutions within and outside the subregion. Feedback from the pilot informed refinements to the user interface, security protocols and response times.

While urging schools, employers, government agencies and candidates to embrace the digital platform, WAEC said the innovation is intended to eliminate administrative bottlenecks such as long queues, physical storage issues and delays in manual processing.

The council emphasised that the introduction of DigiCert will not replace traditional paper certificates. Printed certificates will continue to be produced and issued, ensuring that candidates who prefer or require physical documents are not disadvantaged.

The DigiCert mobile application is available on major app stores for iOS and Android devices, complementing the web portal. WAEC said further guidance, including user manuals and support channels, is accessible through its official online platforms.

In a related development, WAEC announced the release of the Second Series Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination results for private candidates, who can now check their performance online and proceed to obtain digital copies of their certificates via the new system.