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• Five institutions join Times Higher Education rankings for first time

•Federal varsities account for 5 of Nigeria’s 7 institutions in top 1,200

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria has strengthened its presence in the global higher education landscape, with 29 Nigerian universities featuring in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the highest representation by any country in Sub-saharan Africa.

The development, according to the Federal Ministry of Education, reflects the impact of ongoing reforms under the President Bola Tinubu administration and the ministry’s efforts to improve the quality, competitiveness and global visibility of the country’s tertiary education system.

The number of Nigerian universities ranked globally rose from 24 in 2026 to 29 in 2027, with five institutions entering the rankings for the first time. Another 32 Nigerian universities were listed in THE Reporter category, bringing the total number of institutions engaged with the ranking exercise to 61.

A statement by the ministry of education stated that federal universities recorded particularly strong performances, accounting for five of the seven Nigerian universities placed within the global top 1,200, representing 71.4 per cent of the country’s institutions in that band.

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 advanced into the 1001–1200 band, joining Bayero University, which retained its position. Covenant University also remained in the 801–1000 band.

The ministry said federal universities also occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401–1600 band, while five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement were federal institutions: Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.

It attributed the increased participation and improved performance to the Renewed Hope Agenda for Education and the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiatives (NESRI), which it said places greater emphasis on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.

The statement said the Education Minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, had also directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), led by Prof. Peter Okebukola, to commence the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The exercise, being developed in consultation with stakeholders, will assess tertiary institutions using 22 indicators, with the ministry saying it is designed to stimulate healthy competition, enhance institutional visibility and strengthen the capacity of Nigerian institutions to compete globally.

The 2027 THE rankings identified research quality as the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities, while research environment and teaching remained areas requiring further attention.

The ministry said sustaining the gains would require continued improvement in academic reputation, research outcomes and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and institutional data reporting.

It described the growing participation of Nigerian universities in global rankings not merely as recognition, but as a mechanism for benchmarking institutional performance, identifying gaps and accelerating continuous improvement across the tertiary education sector.

“The significant increase in the number of Nigerian universities and notably federal universities being ranked by Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings is a clear manifestation that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Renewed Hope Agenda for Education being powered by the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal initiatives is now yielding significant results.

“The NESRI reform direction is further reflected in the Federal Ministry of Education’s deliberate focus on strengthening evidence-based institutional performance, research capacity and healthy competition across the tertiary education system,” the release stated.

It added: “The Federal Ministry of Education welcomes the progress recorded by Nigerian universities and remains committed to reforms that advance research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and institutional competitiveness.”

The ministry said it views the growing participation of Nigerian universities in global rankings not merely as recognition, but as an important mechanism for benchmarking performance, identifying gaps and accelerating continuous improvement across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.