The Federal Government has begun preparations for the 2026 national ranking of tertiary institutions, with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, directing the Nigeria Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC) to commence the exercise.
The committee, chaired by Prof. Peter Okebukola, is expected to rank Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education as part of efforts to strengthen performance and competitiveness within the tertiary education sector.
The directive comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s improved showing in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with 29 Nigerian universities featuring in the 2027 edition, compared with 24 in the 2026 ranking.
Nigeria now has the highest number of ranked universities among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, while five Nigerian institutions made their debut in the global ranking.
The Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, said the national ranking framework being developed by NiTERAC was being prepared in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
The framework will assess tertiary institutions against 22 indicators intended to promote healthy competition, increase institutional visibility and enhance the ability of Nigerian institutions to compete internationally.
The ministry attributed the improvement in Nigeria’s representation in global rankings to reforms being implemented under Alausa, particularly through the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
It said the reforms were focused on research excellence, innovation, institutional performance and international competitiveness.
The latest THE ranking also highlighted the contribution of federal universities to Nigeria’s performance.
According to the ministry, five of the seven Nigerian universities ranked among the global top 1,200 are federal institutions, accounting for 71.4 per cent of the country’s representation in that category.
The University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos maintained their positions in the 801-1000 band.
Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Ilorin moved into the 1001-1200 band, joining Bayero University, which retained its position in the same category.
Covenant University also maintained its place in the 801-1000 band.
The ministry said federal universities also occupied all six Nigerian positions in the 1401-1600 band.
It added that five of the seven Nigerian universities that recorded clear upward movement in the latest ranking were federal institutions. They are Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ilorin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Benin.
Meanwhile, 32 additional Nigerian universities were included in the THE Reporter category, taking the number of Nigerian institutions participating in the ranking exercise to 61.
The ministry said Research Quality emerged as the strongest performance pillar for Nigerian universities in the 2027 ranking, while Research Environment and Teaching remained areas requiring further improvement.
It said sustained progress would depend on improvements in academic reputation, research output and productivity, doctoral output, international collaboration and the quality of institutional data reporting.
The ministry described participation in global rankings as more than an exercise in recognition, saying it provides a means of benchmarking institutional performance, identifying gaps and driving continuous improvement across the tertiary education system.
It reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reforms aimed at improving research excellence, teaching quality, innovation, international engagement and the global competitiveness of Nigerian tertiary institutions.