The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has drawn a firm line under a culture of examination cheating that has long plagued parts of northern Ghana, declaring that the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) will mark the end of what has been known as the “show and pour” era in the former Brong Ahafo enclave.
The warning comes as 58,412 candidates in the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions prepare to sit the examination beginning Monday, May 4, out of 619,985 candidates writing nationwide. Bono Region accounts for the highest number in the three-region bloc at 24,983, followed by Bono East with 20,865 and Ahafo with 12,564. Papers will be written daily at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM until May 11.
WAEC’s Bono, Ahafo, and Bono East Regional Controller Daniel Nii Dodoo told GBC News that the era of candidates receiving external help during papers is over. “We have moved away from the old days where someone could assist you with answers. This time, it will be your competence on the paper, not anybody else’s,” he said.
The three regions have consistently ranked among Ghana’s highest malpractice hotspots. WAEC previously identified them as accounting for 18,504 implicated candidates in 2023 alone, a figure that has driven sustained sensitisation efforts in the area ahead of this year’s sitting.
Dodoo extended his warning beyond candidates, speaking directly to teachers and parents. He made clear that paying money to facilitate cheating is unacceptable and that complicity from school staff will not be treated lightly. Candidates found guilty of malpractice risk having their subject or full results cancelled, with serious cases referred for legal action.
WAEC’s broader message ahead of the 2026 BECE is that academic success must be earned without assistance, and that the council’s enforcement capacity has been strengthened to match that standard.
