Bishop Oyedepo’s Covenant University top list of 10 best versities in Nigeria.
The Times Higher Education Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings were developed specifically to assess the impact of universities in addressing some of the toughest challenges faced in the region.
Covenant University listed as number 1 in Nigeria and 7 in sub-Saharan Africa.
The British magazine said it used carefully calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three vital areas: teaching, research, and societal impact.
The data include results from the first sub-Saharan Africa student survey, which gathered the opinions of more than 20,000 students.
Per a recent report by PM News, the Nigerian list is led by Convenant University, Ota, Ogun state, while neighbouring Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), is second and Benson Idahosa University, Edo state, emerged third.
The institutions were ranked 7th, 26th, and 30th in the overall list of sub-Saharan Africa university rankings.
While South Africa has the most institutions in the top 10 (four), Nigeria is the most-represented nation overall, with 37 ranked institutions.
Listed below is the full list of the top 10 best universities in Nigeria in 2023, according to Times Higher Education:
1. Covenant University, Ota, Ogun state (in seventh place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Covenant University is a private Pentecostal Christian University which has been operating with official status since 2002 in Ota, Nigeria.
Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, established the school.
2. Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun state (in 26th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) is one of the three federal universities of agriculture created by Nigeria’s government in 1988.
It moved to its present location, a 10,000-hectare site 10 miles outside of the city of Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state, in 1997.
It is divided into colleges of environmental research management, animal science and livestock production, agricultural management and rural development, plant science and crop production, biological science, food science and human ecology, engineering, physical science, and veterinary medicine.
The Veterinary School was created in 2005 on the Isale-Igbein mini-campus to enable local access and was extended by the opening of the veterinary hospital in 2014.
There are plans for two more rural satellite veterinary clinics.
3. Benson Idahosa University, Edo state (in 30th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Benson Idahosa University (BIU) is a private Christian university in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Previously named Christian Faith University (CFU), it was renamed in honour of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, a Charismatic Pentecostal minister from Benin City.
4. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state (in 31st place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, also called UNIZIK or NAU in short, is a federal university in Nigeria.
It consists of two campuses in Anambra state. Its main campus is in Awka (the capital of Anambra State), while its other campus is in Nnewi.
5. Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun state (in 35th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Redeemer’s University is a private university in Ede, Osun, off Ibadan-Oshogbo Road, Osun State, Nigeria.
Established in 2005, the university is owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
6. University of Ibadan, Oyo state (in 36th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
The University of Ibadan (UI) started as the University College, Ibadan (UCI), which was founded in 1948, occupying, at first, the old site at Eleyele.
It later moved to the new site, which covered over 2,550 acres of land.
The site was generously leased by the chiefs and people of Ibadan for 999 years.
7. Cross River University of Technology, Calabar (in 37th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Cross River University of Technology, also known as CRUTECH, is a state-owned higher institution located in Calabar.
The university offers bachelor’s degree programs in courses cutting across Agriculture, Education, Science and technology, and others.
8. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state (in 39th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria.
The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife by the regional government of Western Nigeria, which was led by Samuel Ladoke Akintola.
It was renamed “Obafemi Awolowo University” on May 12, 1987, in honour of now-late Obafemi Awolowo, the first premier of the Western Region of Nigeria.
9. Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina state (in 43rd place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University (UMYU), formerly Katsina State University, was established by the Katsina state government in 2006 to “serve as a nucleus for the socio-economic, technological and political development of the State by producing highly skilled human resource through conventional face-to-face and distance learning modes.”
10. Adeleke University, Ede, Osun state (in 45th place in sub-Saharan Africa)
Adeleke University takes its name from its founder and pro-chancellor Chief Adedeji Adeleke, a business tycoon and prominent indigene of Osun state.
The university is based in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. It is a private, faith-based university founded in 2011 by Adeleke’s Springtime Development Foundation.
It is a small institution with under 1,000 students studying across faculties in arts, basic medical science, business and social science, engineering, law, and science.