The latest Webometrics ranking of Africa's top universities has no Nigerian institution in the top 10, with South African and Egyptian universities dominating the list.
The rankings, published by Webometrics, cover more than 2,014 institutions across 59 African countries. The platform uses official data to measure university performance, tracking each institution's global and continental position over time.
South Africa Leads the Top 10
South Africa claimed six of the ten spots, while Egypt contributed two institutions. Ghana and Uganda each placed one university in the top 10. The University of the Witwatersrand ranks first among African universities, with a global rank of #403.
Here are the top 10 universities in Africa according to the Webometrics ranking, listed with their global positions:
- University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa — Global Rank: #403
- University of Pretoria, South Africa — Global Rank: #448
- Cairo University, Egypt — Global Rank: #456
- University of Johannesburg, South Africa — Global Rank: #491
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa — Global Rank: #581
- Alexandria University, Egypt — Global Rank: #592
- University of South Africa, South Africa — Global Rank: #744
- North West University, South Africa — Global Rank: #876
- University of Ghana, Ghana — Global Rank: #949
- Makerere University, Uganda — Global Rank: #1,006
The University of the Western Cape in South Africa ranked 11th on the continent with a global position of #1,044, while the University of the Free State came in at 12th with a global rank of #1,106.
Nigerian Universities Miss Out
Nigeria, which is home to dozens of federal and state universities, did not feature among Africa's leading institutions in this edition of the rankings. The absence raised fresh questions about the country's higher education competitiveness on the continent.
Webometrics evaluates universities based on their online presence and research visibility, metrics that have increasingly become yardsticks for measuring institutional performance in the global academic community.
Previous Nigerian Performance
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the University of Ibadan had reclaimed its position as Nigeria's highest-ranked university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, overtaking several long-standing competitors across the country.
Results released on Thursday, January 22, on the Times Higher Education website placed UI in the 801 to 1000 global band, making it the top-ranked Nigerian institution in the latest edition.
