Covenant University at Ota in Ogun State has been ranked the best university in Nigeria and seventh in sub-Saharan Africa. The private university recorded the feat in the first Times Higher Education 2023 sub-Saharan Africa rankings.
Fifty Nigerian universities made the list of top universities in Africa.
Other universities that appeared on the elite list and their ranks are: Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (26th), Benson Idahosa University, Okada (30th), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (31st), Redeemer’s University (35th), University of Ibadan (36th), Cross River State University – CRUTECH (37th), Obafemi Awolowo University – OAU, Ife (39th) Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (43rd), Adeleke University (45th), and Ahmadu Bello University (46th).
Others are: University of Benin (47th), Landmark University (49th), Babcock University (50th), Ajayi Crowther University (51-60th), 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 ), 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+), Bauchi State University (71+), Bayero University Kano (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+).
The Times Higher Education announced the ranking in Accra, Ghana on June 26.
Chairman of Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), Prof. Peter Okebukola, led a delegation from Nigeria to attend the event.
Other members of the delegation are Dr. Noel Biodun Saliu, Deputy Executive Secretary (Academics) at the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun (member of NURAC, representing southwest zone).
The vice chancellors of Covenant University, Landmark University and Skyline University were among the other university leaders from Nigeria.
According to Okebukola, who is a former Executive Secretary of the NUC, the methodology of the sub-Saharan African rankings is on “five pillars – resources and finance (20 per cent); access and fairness (20 per cent); teaching skills (20 per cent); student engagement (20 per cent) and Africa impact (20 per cent)”.
He stressed that on all measures, Nigerian universities did impressively well, with much room for improvement.
Okebukola said: “Since this is the first edition of the sub-Saharan university rankings, by the next and subsequent editions, Nigerian universities will leap to the lead.
“We will continue to improve on the metrics through better quality teaching, especially with the incoming Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), research and provision of better services for our students.”
Chief Data Officer of Times Higher Education, Duncan Ross, hailed Nigerian universities for the progress they made in the last two years on global and regional league tables.
Ross noted that of the 121 universities that contributed data, Nigerian universities made up the “largest proportion (42 per cent) followed by South Africa (12 per cent) and Ghana (7 per cent).
Okebukola explained this as the impact of the revolution towards improving quality of delivery of university education in Nigeria, initiated by the outgoing NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, and supported by the immediate-past Education Minister Adamu Adamu”.
Source: The Nation
