Nigeria has taken the top spot in Sub-Saharan Africa’s higher education rankings, with 24 universities listed in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
This makes Nigeria the most represented country in the region, ahead of South Africa, which has 13 universities on the list.
The Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa Insights 2026 report, released on Thursday on THE’s website, shows that the region now has a record 55 universities from 14 countries in the global rankings, which is a significant rise from just 10 universities less than ten years ago.
The report described this as a “moment of celebration” for African higher education, noting that universities are improving not only in number but also in quality and global visibility.
South Africa still leads in performance, with four universities ranked among the world’s top 500. The University of Cape Town is Africa’s highest-ranked institution at 164th globally, its best-ever position.
The University of Johannesburg also reached a major milestone by entering the global top 400 for the first time, while the University of Pretoria returned to the 501–600 range after some years.
For Nigeria, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos both entered the world’s top 1,000 universities for the first time.
Ghana’s University of Cape Coast and Uganda’s Makerere University also featured in the same range, marking steady progress for West and East Africa.
Other countries also improved their presence. Ghana now has four ranked universities, while Botswana has two. Kenya and Tanzania maintained two each.
Senegal made a debut in the rankings through Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar marking a new era for Francophone Africa.
The report showed how fast the region has grown in the rankings over time. From just 12 universities in 2017, the number has grown steadily to 18 in 2020, 25 in 2022, 43 in 2024, and now 55 in 2026, the highest ever.
Times Higher Education’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Phil Baty, said Africa’s progress is not just about numbers but quality.
“We are not just seeing improvements in representation; we are seeing improvements in quality too… a great opportunity to build on the momentum and make sure Africa’s universities are ready to drive innovation and development,” he said.
The top 10 universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to The Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa Insights 2026 report include:
1. University of Cape Town (=164 globally)
2. Stellenbosch University (301–350)
3. University of the Witwatersrand (301–350)
4. University of Johannesburg (351–400)
5. University of KwaZulu-Natal (501–600)
6. University of Pretoria (501–600)
7. University of the Western Cape (601–800)
8. Makerere University (801–1,000)
9. University of Cape Coast (801–1,000)
10. University of Ibadan / University of Lagos (801–1,000)
The report also noted that the global higher education system is changing. Some of Asia’s top universities, such as Tsinghua University and the National University of Singapore, have slowed in growth, while many US and European universities are facing challenges from funding cuts and political pressure.
These changes, the report said, create a new opportunity for Africa to rise further by focusing on research, innovation, and strong international partnerships.
PUNCH Online reported that the University of Ibadan also topped Nigeria’s domestic rankings for 2026, moving up from fourth position in the previous year to become the nation’s best university.
According to the PUNCH Online report, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 noted that UI and the University of Lagos share the same global ranking band (801–1,000), followed by Bayero University, Covenant University, and Landmark University in the 1001–1200 range.
The PUNCH Online report also highlighted that Nigerian universities performed differently across the five indicators used by THE: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry impact.
The University of Lagos scored highest among Nigerian institutions for research quality, Bayero University topped the list for international outlook, while Covenant University led in industry engagement.
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