Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has pledged to offer technical support to the Government of Sierra Leone in the establishment of a transparent, efficient and technology-driven Centralized Admissions System, CAS, for tertiary institutions across the country.
JAMB gave the assurance during a high-level stakeholder engagement organised by Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, MTHE, in Freetown, as part of ongoing efforts to reform the nation’s higher education admissions process and strengthen access to quality tertiary education.
According to a statement by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the engagement followed an earlier visit by a Sierra Leonean delegation led by Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara, to Nigeria, where the team understudied JAMB’s centralized admissions framework during the Board’s Annual Policy Meeting.
Following the visit, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, approved a technical mission by JAMB to Sierra Leone to share practical experiences and implementation strategies.
Speaking at the event, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, disclosed that the proposed Centralized Admissions System had received Cabinet approval and was backed by the Universities Act of 2021.
Wurie noted that the reform would address challenges associated with the current decentralized admissions process by providing a unified digital platform for universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, institutions.
She explained that the initiative was being implemented in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Tertiary Education Commission, TEC, the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, the National Civil Registration Authority, NCRA, the National Telecommunications Authority, NATCA, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, and technology partners.
The Minister stressed that Sierra Leone’s goal was not to replicate another country’s model but to adapt global best practices to suit its educational environment.
She also expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s Minister of Education for supporting the reform process, noting that the establishment of the Centralized Admissions System would significantly restructure and improve admissions administration in Sierra Leone.
Also speaking, Deputy Minister Aziz-Kamara described the initiative as a major step toward enhancing transparency, accountability, efficiency and fairness in higher education admissions.
He revealed that Cabinet had approved the creation of a Centralized Admissions Secretariat within the ministry to coordinate admissions through a unified digital platform.
The stakeholder engagement attracted broad participation from across Sierra Leone’s education sector, including government officials, university administrators, examination bodies and regulatory agencies, all of whom expressed support for the reform initiative.
A key highlight of the meeting was JAMB’s presentation of a comprehensive framework for developing a national digital admissions architecture designed to improve transparency, eliminate duplication, enhance data integrity and strengthen educational planning.
Addressing stakeholders, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, commended the Government of Sierra Leone for adopting an inclusive and consultative approach to the reform process.
He recalled that Nigeria established its centralized admissions system in 1978 to address challenges similar to those currently confronting Sierra Leone and assured stakeholders of JAMB’s continued technical support throughout implementation.
Oloyede emphasized that JAMB’s role was not to export the Nigerian model wholesale but to assist Sierra Leone in developing a system tailored to its national realities while benefiting from decades of practical experience in admissions administration.
The Nigerian delegation to the engagement included the Chairman of the Association of West African Universities, AWAU, Prof. Wahab Egbewole; JAMB Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin; Deputy Director of Operations, Mr. Ashura Abdullahi; Data Analyst, Mr. Oluwaseyi Bada; and Social Media Content Provider, Mr. Prince Kalu.
