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Top African Universities: Strong at Home, Striving for Global Heights

by Varsity Space
November 27, 2024
Reading Time: 4 mins read
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Top African Universities: Strong at Home, Striving for Global Heights

The latest World University Rankings by Times Higher Education reveals that South Africa continues to lead the continent’s charge in global academia, with seven of them in top ten in Africa. Namely; University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Pretoria, University of the Western Cape, still hold their positions, but none of its institutions have improved.

The University of Cape Town (UCT), long celebrated as Africa’s premier institution, experienced a slight decline in the latest rankings, slipping from 167th to 180th place globally. However, it still remains within the top 200 universities worldwide.

This slip in rankings is not unique to UCT. Other major South African universities, such as Stellenbosch University, the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of Pretoria, held steady in their positions but failed to improve. Notably, South Africa still boasts four universities in the top 500 and eight in the top 1000, reflecting a solid foothold in global academia.

Despite these concerns, South African universities shine in research-related metrics, a cornerstone of their success. According to a UK publication that analyzed the rankings, these universities excel in research excellence, influence, productivity, and income. South African institutions are also highly international in their research output, attracting international staff and forging global research collaborations. However, they struggle to attract international students, limiting their global appeal and diversity on campus. As the report notes, “South African university research is very international and is able to attract international staff but the country does not do so well at bringing in international students.”

West Africa: Emerging Players, But a Long Way to Go

West African universities, particularly those in Nigeria and Ghana, are gradually carving out a place in global rankings. Nigeria, with 21 universities now featured, has made significant strides in increasing its representation, adding six new universities to the rankings. However, only one Nigerian university ranks in the top 1000 globally, highlighting the distance between representation and elite status. Ghana follows a similar trajectory, with three universities in the top 1500 and one in the top 1000.

East Africa and Other Regions

In contrast to South and West Africa’s more stable or upward trends, East African universities saw some notable declines in this year’s rankings. Makerere University, Uganda’s flagship institution, dropped significantly from the 801-1000 band to the 1201-1500 band.

Similarly, Ethiopia’s Jimma University, once in the 1001-1200 band, also fell to the 1201-1500 range, reflecting broader difficulties in maintaining competitive academic standards. The University of Mauritius, the leading institution in the island nation, held its ground in the 1201-1500 band.

One of the more optimistic aspects of the latest rankings is the increase in African representation overall. African universities are developing their research infrastructure, which is gradually translating into greater global visibility. Egypt, in particular, added seven more universities to the rankings, bringing its total to 35, the highest for any African country. Nigeria’s addition of six universities reflects similar momentum in terms of representation, even if the quality and global competitiveness of these institutions remain a work in progress.

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 assess over 2,000 universities from 115 countries and territories, using an enhanced “WUR 3.0” methodology. This framework evaluates institutions across five key areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook. These rankings, draw on massive datasets, including over 18 million research publications and survey responses from more than 93,000 scholars worldwide.

Top Universities in Africa:

  • University of Cape Town (South Africa)
  • Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
  • University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
  • University of Johannesburg (South Africa)
  • University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
  • University of Pretoria (South Africa)
  • University of the Western Cape (South Africa)
  • Covenant University (Nigeria)
  • North-West University (South Africa)
  • University of Cape Coast (Ghana)
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