51 Nigerian varsities shine in new regional ranking
About 50 Nigerian Universities have been rated high in the first Times Higher Education 2023 Sub-Saharan Africa rankings.
The institutions were revealed at the official release of the Times Higher Education’s 2023 Sub-Saharan university rankings.
Covenant University led the ratings in Nigeria with its 7th position in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Other top-ranked Nigerian universities and their ranks are the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (26th) in the sub-region, Benson Idahosa University (30th), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (31st ), Redeemer’s University (35th), University of Ibadan (36th), CRUTECH (37th), OAU, Ife (39th) Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (43rd ), Adeleke University (45th), and Ahmadu Bello University (46th ).
Others are the University of Benin (47th), Landmark University(49th), Babcock University (50th), Ajayi Crowther University (51-60th), the Bells University of Technology (51-60th ), Federal University Kashere (51-60th ), Federal University Lokoja (51-60th ), Gombe State University (51-60th ), Lagos State University (51-60th ), the University of Port Harcourt (51-60th ), Baze University (51-60th ), Delta State University (61-70th ), Elizade University (61-70th ), Niger Delta University (61-70th ), Abia State University (71+), Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (71+), Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Ikere (71+), Bauch State University (71+), Bayero University (71+), Edo State University (71+), LAUTECH (71+), Lead City University (71+), NOUN (71+), Glorious Vision University (formerly Samuel Adegboyega University (71+), Veritas University (71+), and Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano (71+).
Professor Peter Okebukola, Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee, who led the Nigerian delegation to the unveiling ceremony, revealed that the methodology of the sub-Saharan African rankings is on “five pillars- resources and finance (20%); access and fairness (20%); teaching skills (20%); student engagement (20%) and Africa impact (20%).
Okebukola said that though the Nigerian universities were impressive in the rating, there was much room for improvement. He noted that since this is the first edition of the sub-Saharan university rankings, Nigerian universities will perform much better in the subsequent editions.
“We will continue to improve on the metrics through better quality teaching, especially with the incoming Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards research and provision of better services for our students,” he said.
Duncan Ross, Chief Data Officer of Times Higher Education, lauded Nigerian universities on progress made in the last two years on global and regional league tables.
Ross stated that of the 121 universities that contributed data, Nigerian universities make up the “largest proportion (42%) followed by South Africa (12%) and Ghana (7%).
