Institutions of higher learning from the northern part of Nigeria have been conspicuously missing, as universities from the south side of the country lead the pack in the 2021 university rankings.
This is according to the 2021 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which include more than 1,500 universities across 93 countries and regions.
The rankings show that the University of Ibadan (UI) is among the 400-501 band of top universities in the world, and that Lagos State University (LASU) is ranked among the top 501-600 universities globally, while the University of Lagos (UniLag) is placed in the 600-800 band of the world’s top performing universities.
A further analysis of the latest university league table shows that LASU has been listed among the top 200 universities in Africa, as Covenant University rather dropped significantly from previous standings.
LASU moved to the top 200 in Africa for the first time, clinching the 155th position and coming second in Nigeria, as UI ranked 111th continentally, but 1st in Nigeria.
While UniLag clinched the 172nd spot, making it the 3rd best in Nigeria, Covenant University dropped significantly from the previously held joint 91st position in Africa to the 201-250 band of the continent’s ranked universities.
The University of Cape Town in South Africa
retained its position in the top 10 performers on the continent and remains the number one institution in Africa.
Durban University of Technology debuted in joint 90th, giving South Africa six top 100 institutions for the first time, as North-West University (joint 97th) moves up from joint 109th.
Egypt’s Mansoura University is the country’s only top 100 representative, entering the band for the first time after moving up from 102 to joint 94th.
From the ranking, universities in emerging economies are improving at a faster rate than universities from developed countries.
Institutions from Pakistan, Russia and China, made an outstanding performances as China’s Tsinghua University topped the pile for the fourth consecutive year.
