The Federal Government has praised Nigerian universities for their impressive showing in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, describing the achievement as a clear indication that ongoing reforms in the education sector are beginning to produce tangible results.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, gave the commendation in a post shared on his X account on Saturday, noting that Nigeria recorded its strongest performance yet in the global rankings.
According to him, 24 Nigerian universities made this year’s rankings, an increase from 21 institutions in previous editions, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of ranked universities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He also highlighted that 17 of the ranked institutions are federal universities, describing the development as evidence of the government’s efforts to improve the quality of public tertiary education.
Alausa congratulated the University of Ibadan, the University of Lagos, Bayero University, Kano, and other institutions recognised in the rankings, saying the achievement reflects the progress being made under the Federal Government’s education reform agenda.
He explained that the rankings go beyond international recognition, adding that they demonstrate the impact of investments in research, innovation, digital transformation, infrastructure, quality assurance and institutional governance.
The minister further revealed that 27 additional Nigerian universities participated in this year’s assessment, describing the increased participation as a positive sign of the sector’s growing commitment to global standards, accountability and continuous improvement.
Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to education, Alausa said the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), introduced under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, would continue to strengthen universities to produce the knowledge, innovation and skilled workforce needed for national development.
The latest THE rankings come only days after Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, emerged as Nigeria’s highest-ranked institution in the 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Rankings. The university placed 72nd globally, becoming the country’s only institution among the world’s top 100.
Other Nigerian universities listed in the sustainability rankings include Covenant University and Redeemer’s University (201–300), Landmark University (301–400), the University of Lagos (601–800), the American University of Nigeria and Lagos State University (801–1000), as well as Babcock University, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nile University of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University and several others.
THE stated that universities qualified for the overall rankings by submitting data on Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) alongside at least three additional Sustainable Development Goals. The organisation also noted that institutions from Mali, Niger, Nicaragua and Tajikistan featured in the rankings for the first time, while the Philippines recorded the highest number of participating universities with 160 institutions.