Olushola Omogbehin
24 Nigerian universities has improved in performance and made the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in a statement, said Nigeria recorded its strongest performance yet in the 2026 rankings, with 24 universities earning global recognition, up from 21 institutions in previous years.
According to the minister, the achievement which is an evidence that the ongoing education reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda are yielding measurable results by making Nigeria the most represented country in sub-saharan Africa in the prestigious global ranking.
According to him, 17 of the ranked institutions are federal universities, which he said reflects the Federal Government’s sustained efforts to strengthen public higher education through deliberate investments and policy reforms.
He congratulated the University of Ibadan (UI), the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Bayero University Kano (BUK) and other Nigerian universities featured in the rankings, describing the recognition as a collective achievement for the country’s higher education sector.
Maintaining that the rankings go beyond international prestige, he said the improved rankings demonstrate what Nigerian universities can accomplish through commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and quality.
He also said that the rankings provide evidence that government investments in research, innovation, digital transformation, quality assurance, infrastructure, and institutional governance are beginning to translate into global recognition.
Welcoming the participation of an additional 27 Nigerian universities in this year’s assessment, he reiterated Government’s commitment to transforming higher education through the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), being implemented under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
