Nigerian Organization Increases College Opportunities With More ACT Test Centers for Students

A Nigerian organization is helping open doors for students to attend U.S. colleges and universities.

The Global Integrated Education Volunteers Association (GIEVA), based in Abuja, Nigeria, is working with ACT to establish 18 additional ACT Test Centers in the next 24 months in this heavily populated West Africa country. Currently, there are two test centers in Nigeria. GIEVA is a youth-centered, non-governmental organization that prepares and inspires youth for engagement and empowerment through collaborative partnerships, educational services, cultural exchanges, advocacy, and volunteerism.

Two representatives from the Global Integrated Education Volunteers Association (GIEVA) recently visited ACT headquarters in Iowa City to discuss the establishment of additional ACT test centers in Nigeria. From left are Daniel Obaka, GIEVA CEO; Jeff McCullough, ACT; Ruth Obaka, GIEVA; Julie Wilt, ACT; Peg Dana, ACT; and Patrick Bourgeacq, ACT.

GIEVA officials will visit potential sites to determine their suitability as test centers and make recommendations to ACT. They will initially recommend six sites and expect to recruit 12 more as they identify additional appropriate sites. Each center will have a minimum capacity of 150 test-takers.

Registering for tests in Nigeria is difficult due to limited access to credit cards and the Internet. Therefore, in addition to identifying test centers, GIEVA will also register students for the exam and oversee the test centers.

“Students will be able to register and pay for the exams via a trusted source, rather than turning to someone locally who has Internet access or a credit card to perform that function for them. Having all registrations go through GIEVA will eliminate fraud in the registration process,” said Patrick Bourgeacq, director of international service relationships, ACT International Division.

“There is growing interest in our country among college-age students to pursue higher education in the United States, and the additional ACT Test Centers will allow us to better help them achieve their goal,” said Daniel Obaka, GIEVA CEO.