The West African Examinations Council has made the 2026 WAEC certificates available through its Digital Certificate Platform, giving successful WASSCE for School Candidates access to digital copies of their certificates from Friday, August 21, 2026.

The development provides candidates with a more convenient way to obtain and present their academic credentials for university admission, employment and other official purposes.

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WAEC announced the development on Friday, saying candidates could access, download and share their certificates through the digital platform.

“The 2026 WASSCE for School Candidate Certificate is now available for access on the WAEC Digital Certificate Platform,” the examination body said.

Candidates can access the service through the official WAEC website or the WAEC Digital Certificate mobile application.

The platform provides two main services. Certificate Access is designed for candidates who want to view, download or share their certificates, while Certificate Confirmation enables institutions and organisations to verify certificates presented by candidates.

To access a certificate, candidates are required to enter the relevant examination and identification details and complete the required verification process. Once authenticated, the certificate can be viewed and downloaded for secure storage or shared with an institution.

The digital service is separate from WAEC’s result-checking portal. While the result portal allows candidates to view their examination results, the Digital Certificate Platform provides access to the formal certificate.

The development follows WAEC’s wider push towards digital certificate services across its member countries.

In February 2026, WAEC announced the full implementation of its Digital Certificate Services System, known as WAEC DigiCert, across Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The council said the system was developed to make certificates easier to access, verify and share while improving security around academic credentials.

The latest release is particularly useful for candidates who need proof of their qualifications at short notice. Instead of waiting for a physical document, eligible candidates can access the digital version through a computer or mobile device.

WAEC has also cautioned users to remain vigilant about fraudulent requests for personal information. The council says users should not provide passwords, personal details or payment information to individuals claiming to represent WAEC through unofficial channels.

The availability of the certificates comes after the release of the 2026 WASSCE results, which followed examinations conducted between April 21 and June 19.

A total of 1,950,726 candidates sat for the examination, according to figures cited in the report. Of that number, 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

More than 24,200 secondary schools participated in the 2026 examination.

For candidates progressing to university, employment or other opportunities, the new digital service offers a significant practical advantage by making formal academic documentation easier to retrieve and present.

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WAEC’s move also reflects the growing role of digital verification in education, where institutions increasingly need faster and more secure ways to authenticate academic records.