WAEC appoints Nigeria’s Dangut as new registrar, CEO

The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has appointed Dr Amos Josiah Dangut as its new Registrar and Chief Executive Officer.

Dangut served as Head of the Nigeria National Office from October 2023 until September 2026.

In a statement on Thursday by the Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Headquarters, Accra, Demianus G. Ojijeogu, the Council said Dangut, a Nigerian, will serve a five-year tenure from October 2026 to September 2031. He succeeds Alhaji Pateh Bah of The Gambia.

His appointment was ratified by Council, the international governing board of WAEC, at its 74th Annual Meeting held in Accra, Ghana, in March 2026. He assumed office as the 14th Registrar to Council on October 1, 2026.

Born on October 2, 1967, Dangut holds a Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Production (1991), Master of Science in Animal Science (1994), Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science (2017), and Master of Education in Administration and Planning (2020).

He began his career in education in 1994 at St. Louis College, Jos, where he served as a WAEC examiner before joining the Council in 1998.

An astute test developer and administrator, he has served in various capacities, including Assistant Registrar, Test Development Division, Ogba, Lagos; Head of Examinations Security and Deputy Branch Controller, Uyo and Bauchi; Branch Controller, Yola; Controller, Post-Examinations Department; Zonal Coordinator, Ikeja; and Deputy Registrar, Head of National Office.

With over two decades of experience, Dangut is noted for leveraging Information and Communications Technology to improve test development, administration and post-test activities.

As Head of National Office, he championed key innovations including the rollout of Computer-Based WASSCE, serialization of question papers and introduction of a Digital Electronic Marking System. He also oversaw the Digital Certificate Portal, WAEC E-Study Platform, Digital Records Archive, and systems for examination logistics and monitoring of examiners.

During his career, he received commendation from the Nigeria Examinations Committee for his handling of examination matters from 2000 to 2006, and an Award for Meritorious Service from the Ondo State Government during his NYSC year.

He has served on the boards of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, NERDC, Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board, JUPEB, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, and Grange Educational Foundation, and represented WAEC at the Joint Consultative Committee on Education and the National Council on Education.

Dangut has publications in international and national journals and has presented papers at several conferences. He is currently the Regional Representative of the West African Sub-region on the Executive Board of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa, AEAA.

He is a Fellow of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria, STAN, and member of the Nigeria Institute of Management, NIM.