By Funmilola Gboteku
The Nigerian Software Testing Qualifications Board (NGSTQB) says it will prioritise stronger, globally aligned software testing standards in 2026 to improve reliability, security and trust of Nigeria’s digital systems.
The President of NGSTQB, Mr Boye Dare, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
The Nigerian Software Testing Qualifications Board (NGSTQB) is a member board of International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB); the world’s leading organisation for Certification of Professionals in Software Testing.
The NGSTQB mission is to generate public awareness of the economic and risk management benefits that professional software testing practices offer. They enable their customers to develop their careers in line with trending industry demands.
The NGSTQB develops, adopts and contributes to standards for software testing, training course development, and professional qualification.
The NGSTOB president noted that the board’s focus for 2026 was to embed software quality as a standard expectation across both public and private sector digital services as Nigeria’s digital transformation continued to expand.
Dare said NGSTQB wanted software testing to be recognised as a critical enabler of reliable and secure systems rather than being treated as an optional activity added at the final stage of development.
“Our priority for 2026 is to ensure that software quality becomes a national standard, not an afterthought.
“Reliable digital services depend on professional testing practices applied from the early stages of development, and organisations must see testing as both a business and security necessity,” he added.
Dare said that the board’s emphasis on stronger testing standards was driven from persistent weaknesses in software testing practices, which exposed systems to failures, security vulnerabilities and loss of public confidence.
According to Dare, software testing was still often treated as a final stage activity in many organisations, while skills gaps persists in specialised areas such as automation, performance and security testing.
He said awareness of the business value of structured testing remained uneven at executive and decision making levels, limiting investment in quality assurance frameworks.
Dare said NGSTQB had played a critical role in addressing these challenges by promoting professional, standardised and internationally recognised testing practices nationwide.
He said these industry challenges helped shape NGSTQB’s priorities for 2026, with workforce development and stronger partnerships becoming central to the board’s strategy.
Dare said the board planned to deepen collaboration with government, academia and industry to drive wider adoption of best practices across the country.
Reviewing the board’s performance in 2025, Dare said NGSTQB consolidated its position as Nigeria’s reference body for professional software testing.
He said the board expanded nationwide awareness of globally recognised ISTQB certifications, helping professionals and organisations better understand the importance of structured testing competence.
According to him, NGSTQB also strengthened community engagement through training programmes and knowledge sharing platforms focused on practical and job ready testing skills.
Dare also said that the TestNigeria Conference remained a major milestone in 2025, serving as the country’s flagship forum for discussions on software quality and standards.
He said the fourth edition of the conference brought together practitioners, industry leaders, academia and regulators to advance national conversations on software testing.
“The year 2025 was about consolidation, as we focused on strengthening standards, growing skills and reinforcing software quality as a national issue,” Dare said.
He said that building on these achievements, NGSTQB would in 2026 expand capacity building programmes in high demand areas such as automation, security, performance and AI-assisted testing.
Dare added that the board planned to deepen partnerships with employers, universities and regulators, roll out the NGSTQB Software Testing Magazine and support the nationwide adoption of the National Software Testing Guideline.
He said NGSTQB was also engaging stakeholders to establish Nigeria’s first National Quality Assurance Hub to support structured testing services, skills development and industry collaboration.
“With the right standards and skills, Nigeria can position itself as a credible destination for global software testing services,” Dare said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Christiana Fadare
