By Agency Report
Nigeria has increased its presence in the global higher education system, with 29 Nigerian universities featuring in the 2027 Times Higher Education, THE, World University Rankings.
This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Director Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo.
Mrs Boriowo said Nigeria recorded the highest number of ranked universities among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to her, five Nigerian universities entered the global rankings for the first time, while another 32 institutions were listed under the THE Reporter category.
This brings the total number of Nigerian institutions participating in the ranking exercise to 61.
The ministry attributed the development to ongoing reforms in the education sector, particularly efforts to improve research, innovation, institutional performance and the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities.
Research quality was identified as the strongest performance area for Nigerian universities, while research environment and teaching were listed as areas requiring further improvement.
The ministry said continued improvement in academic reputation, research output, doctoral programmes, international collaboration and institutional data reporting would be important to sustaining the progress.
It said federal universities recorded particularly strong performances, with five of the seven Nigerian universities placed among the global top 1,200 being federal institutions.
”The University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos retained their positions in the 801–1000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin moved into the 1001–1200 band.
”Bayero University also retained its position in the 1001–1200 band, while Covenant University was placed in the 801–1000 band,” she said.
Mrs Boriowo said federal universities also occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401–1600 band.
She said that five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement were federal institutions.
“They are Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.”
She said the development showed that the Federal Government’s education reforms were beginning to produce measurable results.
”The Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), led by Prof. Peter Okebukola, has also been directed to commence the 2026 national ranking of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
“The national ranking is expected to encourage healthy competition, improve institutional visibility and strengthen the ability of Nigerian tertiary institutions to compete internationally.
“The proposed ranking framework, being developed in consultation with stakeholders, will assess institutions using 22 indicators.
“The Ministry views the rankings as an important tool for measuring performance, identifying gaps and driving continuous improvement in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector,” she said.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to reforms aimed at improving research, teaching quality, innovation, international collaboration and the overall competitiveness of Nigerian tertiary institutions.
NAN
