Times Higher Education have released the 2019 edition of the Emerging Economies University Rankings featuring a list of the top institutions in Africa.
Each institution was evaluated based on its research performance, teaching and knowledge transfer.
The methodology weighs factors that measure a university’s global and regional reputation; academic research performance; Teaching (the learning environment); citations (research influence); International outlook (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).
Universities from South Africa make up the top 6, with University of Cape Town leading the pack, followed by the University of Witwatersrand. Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Pretoria, and University of Johannesburg completes the top 6 best universities in Africa.
Cairo University in Egypt is the seventh best university in Africa, and the best in North Africa.
Three Nigerian Universities made it to this year’s list of best universities in Africa, but only two made it to the Top 20, they include: The University of Ibadan (11th in Africa – making them Nigeria’s best) and Convenant University (13th best in Africa and 2nd best in Nigeria).
University of Nigeria, Nsukka was the third Nigerian University that made it into this years list, but the school didn’t make the top 20 cut.
The 2019 Times Higher Education Emerging Economies Summit, held on Tuesday, January 15, 2019, at an event in Doha, Qatar.
The event brought together Presidents, Vice-Chancellors, Rectors as well as policymakers and industry executives, to share and advance understanding of the opportunities and role of research universities to secure their future and the vital role they can play in their nations’ development.
Below are the Top 20 Best Universities in Africa, 2019 – Times Higher Education
| Rank | University |
|---|---|
| 1 | University of Cape Town, South Africa |
| 2 | University of Witwatersrand, South Africa |
| 3 | Stellenbosch University, South Africa |
| 4 | University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| 5 | University of Pretoria, South Africa |
| 6 | University of Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 7 | Suez Canal University, Egypt |
| 8 | University of the Western Cape, South Africa |
| 9 | American University in Cairo, Egypt |
| 10 | Mansoura University, Egypt |
| 11 | University of Ibadan, Nigeria |
| 12 | Beni-Suef University, Egypt |
| 13 | Covenant University, Nigeria |
| 14 | Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt |
| 15 | Benha University, Egypt |
| 16 | Tanta University, Egypt |
| 17 | Cairo University, Egypt |
| 18 | University of Ghana |
| 19 | Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco |
| 20 | Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco |
Methodology
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
The Emerging Economies University Rankings use the same 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments – but the weightings are specially recalibrated to reflect the characteristics of the emerging economy universities.
The performance indicators are grouped into five areas: Teaching (the learning environment); Research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); International outlook (staff, students and research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).
