This was the focus of the inaugural webinar hosted by DIniti8tive in partnership with the Quality Education Development Associates (QEDA), themed “Connectivity and the Cost/Integrity of National Examinations in Nigeria.”

Moderated by Esther Adegunle, associate director for Business and Economic Growth at DAI, the session examined four critical issues: the role of connectivity in exam fairness, the economic and social costs of exam-day glitches, policy and technology innovations, and the launch of DIniti8tive’s policy advocacy platform for education reform.

Delivering the opening remarks, Dr. Dara Akala, international development expert and former executive director of the PIND Foundation, emphasized that while Nigeria has made strides in digitalization, challenges remain in education.

“Connectivity gaps, rising telecom costs, and weak ICT infrastructure risk excluding millions of students, especially in rural and underserved communities. This transition must be fair and inclusive,” he said.

The keynote address was delivered by Chief Osita Chidoka, former minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, who championed Nigeria’s digital readiness.

He cited JAMB’s CBT success as proof that large-scale digital reforms are possible.

“Over the last decade, Nigeria has undergone a silent digital revolution, from banking to voter registration. The key question is: can we deliver fair, accessible, glitch-free digital examinations for every Nigerian child? The answer depends on political will and sustained innovation,” Chidoka asserted.

Chidoka also shared his experience digitizing processes at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), including accident reporting, e-ticketing, and staff promotion exams, stressing that digital systems thrive when backed by leadership and infrastructure.

Also speaking, Dr. Fidelis Ekom, co-founder and Managing Partner of DIniti8tive, reiterated the group’s commitment to advocacy and collaboration.

“Today we interrogated a subject that touches the core of educational equity in Nigeria, connectivity and the cost and integrity of national examinations. Together, we’ve examined the realities: the infrastructure gaps, the economic and social toll of exam-day glitches, and the risk of leaving millions of children behind as we transition to full CBT systems.

“Nigeria does not need to disrupt existing systems like JAMB and WAEC. We must expand their capacity, reinforce their integrity, and ensure inclusivity. Every child deserves a fair chance to prove their potential, no matter where they live.

“But more importantly, we have spotlighted solutions: Strengthening connectivity and infrastructure to reach underserved communities; leveraging technology and EdTech innovations that are low-cost, inclusive, and scalable; ensuring shared accountability frameworks where exam bodies, parents, students, and schools co-create solutions, and fostering bold partnerships across government, private sector, and civil society that can truly move us from plans to performance,” Ekom said.

Stakeholders, including representatives from WAEC, NANS, NAPTAN, NAPPS, parents, legal experts, and EdTech innovators, contributed to the discussions, underscoring the need for public-private partnerships to strengthen exam systems.

As next steps, DIniti8tive announced plans to produce a post-event policy brief, share digital advocacy tools, and launch pilot projects that improve exam connectivity, fairness, and reliability ahead of the 2026 CBT deadline.

The exercise, driven by the Anambra State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, with support from the State ICT Agency, kickstarted on Thursday, 14th December, 2023, at the IDK centre, Awka.

Over 6,970 applications were received on the application portal, out of which only 500 personnel will be selected following the completion of the CBT exams.

A breakdown of the applications received by the various positions applied for is as follows- Senior Medical Officer: 217, Pharmacists: 136, Midwife: 250, Nurse: 496, Nurse/Midwife: 548, SCHEW: 1,034, JCHEW: 615, Community Health Worker: 702, Health Attendant: 1,039, and Health Assistant: 1,933.

Speaking at the venue for the CBT examination, Dr Afam Obidike, the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, explained that the exercise is evident to the commitment of Prof Chukwuma Obidike, the State Governor, to fill the manpower gaps identified in the state health sector.

According to him, “this is the second phase of the recruitment we are doing. We did recruitment up to 500 last year and now we are recruiting another 500 for the Primary Healthcare System.

“All over the world, human resource for health is a major challenge.

“When we did the first recruitment after the gap analysis, we found that there was the need to do more to ensure that the promise of quality health coverage promised by Mr Governor is realised.

“We are not only going to be recruiting, we will also be training and retraining to ensure that our personnel are equipped with the right knowledge and expertise, to render quality health service to Anambra people.”

The Commissioner, who went round the centre to monitor the process, observed that the exercise has been going on without any hitches, commending the partnership of the state ICT Agency in driving the CBT exams.

“This is the partnership that works that we require in the government system and we are delighted to be partners with the State ICT Agency for what they are doing in ensuring the deployment of technology in this recruitment process,” Obidike said.

For his part, Mr Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (CFA) the MD/CEO, Anambra State ICT Agency, said his agency’s role in the CBT examination signposts the vision of Mr Governor, for ‘Everything Technology and Technology Everywhere.’

In his words; “by making sure that there is a touch of technology in every process in the state governance, we are consciously building a tribe that is ICT-compliant and up-to-speed with the global trends across various spheres.”

CFA expressed appreciation to Governor Soludo for his forward-thinking stance that integrated technology in every activity of his administration, emphasizing that government processes have been simplified, removing bottlenecks inhibiting maximum output and eliminating corruption and other sharp practices mitigating transparency and optimum productivity.