The world of higher education is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and Sub-Saharan African universities are increasingly claiming their place on the global stage. The recently released 2024 Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings not only highlight the region’s academic achievements but also reveal the ongoing strides towards excellence in teaching, research, and innovation. Institutions from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana, among others, are steadily climbing the ranks, demonstrating their capacity to compete with global powerhouses.
In the 2024 ranking, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) is first on the list, surpassing the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) to claim the top spot in South Africa and the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region, as revealed by the latest Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings. UJ, which held second place last year, now tops the chart with an overall score exceeding 80 making it the only university to achieve such a distinction in the rankings. Meanwhile, Wits has slipped to third place, while the University of Pretoria now holds the second position. This achievement solidifies South Africa’s dominance at the top of the rankings, securing all three leading spots.
On average, South African universities demonstrated exceptional performance, with a mean score of 65 out of 100 for the ten institutions ranked – the highest in the region for countries with at least ten participating universities. Other nations in this category include Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Somalia. The rankings, now in their second year, evaluate institutions based on key metrics such as teaching quality, research impact, and societal contributions. This year’s methodology has been refined to enhance comparability, grouping assessments into five pillars: student engagement, Africa impact, ethical leadership (a new addition), access and fairness, and resources and funding
Ghana emerged as the second-best country in the rankings, with an average score of 57 across 11 institutions. The University of Ghana climbed from 17th to 5th place, while Ashesi University retained its position at number nine. Ghanaian universities excelled particularly in ethical leadership, earning the highest average score in this category among countries with at least ten ranked institutions. Two of its universities feature in the top 10, marking a significant improvement from the previous year when only one was present.
Kenya on the other hand has no university in the top 10, however, it got the score of the third-highest average score of 54 from 15 institutions. The University of Embu, ranked 16th, emerged as the nation’s leading institution. Kenyan universities earned commendable scores for course quality, reflecting positive student feedback. However, they lagged in metrics related to access and fairness, particularly concerning opportunities for first-generation and low-income students.
With 41 universities and an average overall score of 51, Nigeria leads the ranking with the best representation. Impressively, 13 Nigerian universities are among the top 50, with the American University of Nigeria securing the 12th position as the highest-ranked in the country.
The nation’s universities perform exceptionally well in ethical leadership and student engagement, with students praising the quality of teaching and well-structured curriculums. However, there are notable gaps in inclusivity, as Nigeria records the lowest average scores—among countries with at least 10 ranked institutions—for enrolling first-generation and low-income students
