The first ever ranking of universities in Sub-Saharan Africa by Times Higher Education (THE) will be released on Monday 26 June 2023.
THE’s Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings 2023 will officially be announced at the organisation’s first forum in the subcontinent, THE Sub-Saharan Africa Universities Forum, which is taking place at Ashesi University in Berekuso, (just outside Accra), Ghana on Monday 26 June 2023.
The Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings, produced in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, assesses 121 universities, 88 of which will be ranked, in 20 countries in the African sub-continent.
The pioneering new university ranking will highlight the strongest universities in Sub-Saharan Africa across a comprehensive range of performance indicators covering five pillars: “access and fairness”, “Africa impact”, “teaching skills”, “student engagement” and “resources and finances”. The ranking explores the impact of universities in Sub-Saharan Africa in addressing some of the toughest challenges faced in the continent by looking at various themes including graduate employability, teaching quality, research impact and equality.
The rankings will assess current performance, helping African universities identify key areas where they can improve. The measures relate to both the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and cover the three core missions of higher education: teaching, impact and research. A key component of the ranking is a unique student survey accounting for their experiences.
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education’s chief global affairs officer, said:
“The introduction of this unique pioneering ranking, which was developed specifically for and led-by African education organisations, is a really significant moment. Firstly, it clearly and for the first time, demonstrates the broad and diverse strengths of a wide range of universities across the continent. Secondly, it will help African universities celebrate and showcase good practice, benchmark themselves against peers, and identify key areas where they can improve. And thirdly, it explores the impact of universities in addressing some of the toughest challenges faced in the continent.”
The ranking draws on decades of best practice from THE, including THE’s Impact Rankings, which show how the global higher education sector is working towards the UN SDGs. It is hoped that universities can build on their participation in these regionally focused rankings as a first step to gaining recognition for their work in THE’s World University Rankings.
The Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings methodology was developed by THE’s data team, in consultation with university leaders across Sub-Saharan Africa. The project was initially created by a consortia of African and international higher education organisations including Botho Ltd, Maverick Research and MyCos Data, led by Ashesi University. THE independently managed all data collection and calculations. The ranking was created in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
The inaugural THE Sub-Saharan Africa Universities Forum, hosted at Ashesi University, is about revolutionising African higher education, and will feature the official launch of the Sub-Saharan Africa Ranking on Monday 26 June. Sign up for the event here.
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