By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
Twenty-nine Nigerian universities have been ranked in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the highest number from any country in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Federal Ministry of Education.
The figure is up from 24 in 2026, with five institutions ranked for the first time Osun State University, the University of Maiduguri, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
A further 32 Nigerian universities are listed in the THE Reporter category, bringing the total engaged with the exercise to 61.
Covenant University, the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos placed in the 801-1000 band, with Covenant moving up from 1001-1200. Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin advanced from 1201-1500 into the 1001-1200 band, joining Bayero University and Landmark University, which retained their positions. Federal institutions account for five of the seven Nigerian universities in the global top 1,200, and for all six Nigerian entries in the 1401-1600 band.
The Ministry credited the results to reforms under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
It said the minister, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NITERAC), led by Professor Peter Okebukola, to begin a 2026 national ranking of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The framework will assess universities against 22 indicators.
The THE report identifies research quality as Nigeria’s strongest area, while research environment and teaching need further attention. The Ministry said it will keep pursuing reforms in research, teaching quality, innovation and international engagement, and views global rankings as a tool for benchmarking performance and identifying gaps.
