By Felix Khanoba
Nigeria has expanded its footprint in the global higher education system, with 29 universities featuring in the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, up from 24 institutions in the previous edition.
The development places Nigeria as the country with the highest number of ranked universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a statement issued on Thursday by Boriowo Folasade, Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education.
The ministry attributed the development to ongoing reforms in the education sector under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the supervision of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, particularly efforts aimed at improving research, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.
According to the statement, of the 29 Nigerian universities included in the 2027 rankings, five made their debut, while another 32 institutions were listed in the THE Reporter category. This brings to 61 the total number of Nigerian tertiary institutions engaged with the ranking exercise.
Federal universities accounted for a substantial share of the institutions recording strong performances. Five of the seven Nigerian universities placed within the global 1,200 bracket are federal universities, representing 71.4 per cent of Nigeria’s institutions in that category.
The University of Ibadan and University of Lagos retained their positions in the 801–1000 band, while Ahmadu Bello University and University of Ilorin moved into the 1001–1200 band, joining Bayero University, which maintained its position.
Covenant University also improved from the 1001–1200 band in 2026 to the 801–1000 band in the 2027 ranking.
Other notable movements included Babcock University, which moved from 1501+ to 1201–1400, while Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Benin advanced into the 1401–1600 band.
Osun State University and the University of Maiduguri entered the rankings for the first time, while Olabisi Onabanjo University, Kwara State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, among others, also appeared in the 2027 edition.
The ministry said the performance was evidence of the impact of the Federal Government’s education reform agenda, particularly the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
It stated that the increase in the number of Nigerian universities participating in the THE rankings, especially the performance of federal universities, was “a clear manifestation that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR Renewed Hope Agenda for Education being powered by the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal initiatives is now yielding significant results.”
According to the ministry, NESRI is also driving greater emphasis on evidence-based institutional performance, research capacity and healthy competition among tertiary institutions.
As part of the reform drive, Alausa has directed the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NITERAC), led by Professor Peter Okebukola, to commence the 2026 national ranking of Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The exercise is expected to promote competition among institutions, improve their visibility and strengthen their ability to compete internationally.
The emerging national ranking framework, being developed in consultation with stakeholders, will assess tertiary institutions using 22 indicators, with the objective of providing a stronger evidence base for identifying institutional strengths and areas that require improvement.
However, the ministry noted that the latest THE rankings also point to areas where Nigerian universities need to make further progress.
It said Research Quality emerged as the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities, while Research Environment and Teaching remained areas requiring greater attention.
The ministry identified improvements in academic reputation, research outcomes and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and institutional data reporting as critical to sustaining the gains recorded.
It said the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to pursue reforms aimed at strengthening research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and institutional competitiveness.
The ministry added that it viewed increased participation in global university rankings not simply as recognition for Nigerian institutions but as a tool for benchmarking performance, identifying gaps and driving continuous improvement across the country’s tertiary education system.
