Nigeria Leads with the Most Universities in 2024 Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa Rankings

Nigeria leads the 2024 Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings with 41 institutions featured, including 13 in the top 50.

The American University of Nigeria is the country’s highest-ranked institution at 12th place, while Landmark University tops the ethical leadership pillar. The University of Johannesburg in South Africa claims the overall top spot in a ranking of 129 universities from 22 countries, with five newcomers—Namibia, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, and Eswatini. This year, the methodology was updated to include new metrics on leadership, ethics, and African heritage.

Nigeria stands out as the most represented nation in the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) University Rankings, with 41 institutions ranked, an increase from 37 last year. This is more than double the number of ranked universities in any other SSA country. The American University of Nigeria leads the nation at 12th place overall, while Nigeria dominates the top 50 with 13 universities, followed by South Africa (8) and Ghana (7). Additionally, Nigeria has the highest number of debutant universities, with 15 new entries, ahead of Kenya’s 10.

In terms of the Africa impact pillar, Nigeria outperforms the SSA average (49.8 versus 48.4), driven by its success in pan-African citations. While it scores below average in four of the five pillars—resources and finance, access and fairness, student engagement, and Africa impact—it excels in ethical leadership, with Landmark University leading this category with an impressive 96.8. Nigeria’s average scores in ethical leadership (68.8) and student engagement (62) are close to the regional averages.

South Africa claims the top three spots in the rankings, with the University of Johannesburg becoming the new SSA leader, followed by the University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand. Newcomers include the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 10th place and Rwanda’s University of Rwanda debuting in 6th place. Notable movements include Ghana’s University of Ghana rising to 5th place and Somalia’s SIMAD University securing 7th.

This year’s rankings feature 129 universities from 22 countries, with five nations—Namibia, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, and Eswatini—joining the table. Namibia leads the newcomers, with the University of Namibia ranked joint-13th. See the full list of universities and their ranks below:

Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings 2024

Institution	Country	Rank
University of Johannesburg	South Africa	1
University of Pretoria	South Africa	2
University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa	3
UGHE – University of Global Health Equity	Rwanda	4
University of Ghana	Ghana	5
University of Rwanda	Rwanda	6
SIMAD University	Somalia	7
Makerere University	Uganda	8
Ashesi University	Ghana	9
University of KwaZulu-Natal	South Africa	10
Durban University of Technology	South Africa	11
American University of Nigeria	Nigeria	12
University of Namibia	Namibia	=13
University of Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe	=13
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources	Malawi	15
University of Embu	Kenya	16
North-West University	South Africa	17
Midlands State University	Zimbabwe	18
Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)	Botswana	19
Jimma University	Ethiopia	20
Ahmadu Bello University	Nigeria	21
Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST)	Malawi	22
Universidade Eduardo Mondlane	Mozambique	23
University of South Africa	South Africa	24
University of Mauritius	Mauritius	25
Covenant University	Nigeria	26
Landmark University	Nigeria	27
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences	Tanzania	28
Strathmore University	Kenya	29
Lagos State University	Nigeria	30
University of Ibadan	Nigeria	31
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology	Nigeria	=32
Mount Kenya University	Kenya	=32
United States International University – Africa	Kenya	34
University for Development Studies	Ghana	35
Nasarawa State University, Keffi	Nigeria	36
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta	Nigeria	37
Bayero University	Nigeria	=38
Federal University Oye-Ekiti	Nigeria	=38
University of Ilorin	Nigeria	=38
Bells University of Technology	Nigeria	=41
University of Venda	South Africa	=41
Accra Technical University	Ghana	43
Ho Technical University	Ghana	44
Ardhi University	Tanzania	45
Kibabii University	Kenya	46
Gwanda State University	Zimbabwe	47
Academic City University College	Ghana	48
Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development	Ghana	49
Murang’a University of Technology	Kenya	50
Tshwane University of Technology	South Africa	51
Abrar University	Somalia	52
Pan-Atlantic University	Nigeria	53
Kabarak University	Kenya	=54
Kwara State University	Nigeria	=54
Mogadishu University	Somalia	56
Rivers State University	Nigeria	57
Karatina University	Kenya	58
University of Nairobi	Kenya	59
SD Dombo University for Business and Integrated Development Studies	Ghana	60
2iE – International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering	Burkina Faso	61-70
Africa Renewal University	Uganda	61-70
Chinhoyi University of Technology	Zimbabwe	61-70
Delta State University, Abraka	Nigeria	61-70
Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology (JUST)	Somalia	61-70
Lead City University	Nigeria	61-70
Metropolitan International University	Uganda	61-70
Universidade Catolica de Mocambique	Mozambique	61-70
University of Kabianga	Kenya	61-70
University of Port Harcourt	Nigeria	61-70
Barwaaqo University	Somalia	71-80
Baze University	Nigeria	71-80
Benson Idahosa University	Nigeria	71-80
Bowen University	Nigeria	71-80
Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences	Tanzania	71-80
Cavendish University (Uganda)	Uganda	71-80
Ghana Communication Technology University	Ghana	71-80
Godfrey Okoye University	Nigeria	71-80
University of Technology, Mauritius	Mauritius	71-80
Victoria University Kampala	Uganda	71-80
Abia State University	Nigeria	81-100
Adeleke University	Nigeria	81-100
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike	Nigeria	81-100
Babcock University	Nigeria	81-100
BlueCrest University College	Ghana	81-100
Botho University	Botswana	81-100
Ekiti State University	Nigeria	81-100
Enugu State University of Science and Technology	Nigeria	81-100
Federal University of Kashere	Nigeria	81-100
Global Science University	Somalia	81-100
Institut Universitaire d’Abidjan	Cote d’Ivoire	81-100
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mauritius	Mauritius	81-100
Lukenya University	Kenya	81-100
Maryam Abacha American University of Niger	Niger	81-100
Riara University	Kenya	81-100
St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences	Tanzania	81-100
St. Paul’s University – Nairobi Campus	Kenya	81-100
Thomas Adewumi University	Nigeria	81-100
Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano	Nigeria	81-100
Zamzam University for Science and Technology	Somalia	81-100
Adventist University of Central Africa	Rwanda	101+
Ajayi Crowther University	Nigeria	101+
Baidoa International University	Somalia	101+
Bauchi State University, Gadau	Nigeria	101+
Christian Service University	Ghana	101+
Elizade University	Nigeria	101+
First Technical University	Nigeria	101+
Glorious Vision University	Nigeria	101+
Graduate School of Management (Côte d’Ivoire)	Cote d’Ivoire	101+
Hormuud University	Somalia	101+
Instituto Superior de Ciencias Economicas e Empresariais	Cape Verde	101+
International University of Grand-Bassam	Cote d’Ivoire	101+
KCA University	Kenya	101+
Kebri Dehar Universty	Ethiopia	101+
Lagos State University of Science and Technology	Nigeria	101+
Mulungushi University	Zambia	101+
Niger Delta University	Nigeria	101+
Nile University of Nigeria	Nigeria	101+
Red Sea University	Somalia	101+
St Joseph’s Theological Institute	South Africa	101+
The Management University of Africa	Kenya	101+
Universidade José Eduardo dos Santos	Angola	101+
Universidade Katyavala Bwila	Angola	101+
Universidade Rainha Njinga a Mbande (URNM)	Angola	101+
Universidade do Namibe	Angola	101+
Université Polytechnique de San Pedro	Cote d’Ivoire	101+
University of Eswatini	Eswatini	101+
Veritas University, Abuja	Nigeria	101+
Werabe University	Ethiopia	101+

The methodology for the SSA University Rankings, developed in collaboration with African and international organisations, has been updated to include metrics on leadership, ethics, and African heritage. These adjustments reflect priorities critical to the region, such as access, inclusion, and sustainability. THE’s chief global affairs officer, Phil Baty, emphasised the rankings’ unique focus on the challenges and developmental goals of SSA nations, setting them apart from global benchmarks.

Credit: Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings 2024