The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has elected Prof Ato Essuman from Ghana as a new chairman for the Council.

He was elected at the 69th annual meeting of the Governing Board (Council) which took place online from March 22 to March 26. He succeeds Mr Baboucarr Bouy from The Gambia who was elected in March 2018.

Prof Ato Essuman's election is for a three-year tenure from March 2021 to March 2024 in line with the Council's convention.

Giving the Keynote address, President Akufo-Addo congratulated the Council on the successful execution of its mandate in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

He expressed delight over the performance of the first batch of beneficiaries of government’s Free Senior High School policy who sat WASSCE and also condemned the increase of examination malpractice in the sub-region.

President Akufo-Addo promised a greater collaboration between his government and WAEC to curb the malaise and further improve the quality of education in Ghana.

The council also called for more collaborative efforts by the stakeholders in education to stop all forms of examination fraud in the sub region.

Meanwhile, at the opening of the meeting, three students all from Ghana were honoured with the WAEC International Excellence Award for their outstanding performance in the 2020 WASSCE.

At the end of the meeting, the Head of the Ghana delegation was also elected as the Vice Chairman of the Council for a one year period.