17 Countries With Best Universities In Africa

In this article, we will take a look at the 17 countries with best universities in Africa. If you would like to skip our discussion on the education sector in Africa, you can go to the 5 Countries With Best Universities In Africa.

Education is a key driver for social development and is a matter of public management and responsibility. Despite its importance, Africa faces challenges in providing this opportunity for social advancement, especially for children under twelve. According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), over one-fifth of African children under 11 are not enrolled in school, and approximately 60% of teenagers aged 15 to 17 do not have access to education. African countries are now increasing efforts to improve educational outcomes. This has resulted in positive trends, with several African universities rising in global rankings. The Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and Sustainable Development Goal 4 are increasing their focus on offering inclusive and quality education for everyone across the continent.

Addressing the educational needs of Africa’s youth is important to drive the continent’s economy and lead to overall improvement. With 70% of Africa’s population under the age of 30, this demographic represents a significant force that requires attention to contribute to high economic growth. Currently, Africa faces challenges such as low admission rates in higher education, which is almost 80% lower than the global average of 42%.

This, coupled with a lack of quality higher education institutions, results in existing universities being strained. Additional resources are required to provide better education and accommodate the growing number of students in the region. Unfortunately, universities across the African continent are severely underfunded in all countries, with an average investment of only 0.3% of GDP in research and development. This is significantly lower than the 2.25% average in North America and Europe.

You can check out the 17 Countries With Best Universities In Europe here.

Given that Africa is projected to contribute one-third of the global workforce by 2034, it becomes imperative for Africans to prioritize their education system. Recognizing the potential of digital literacy, many universities are investing in programs that focus on digital skills. Among the top 10 universities in Africa, a significant portion is located in South Africa, a country that has placed a strategic emphasis on digital literacy programs as a component of its educational policies. Some of the key companies contributing to quality education across South Africa include ADvTECH Ltd (JSE:ADH) and Curro Holdings Ltd (JSE:COH). Furthermore, online learning platforms provided by companies like Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) and Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) also play an important role in shaping the educational landscape across Africa.

In its Q4 2023 earnings call, Udemy, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:UDMY) Chief Executive Officer Greg Brown shared the steps the company had taken to improve the quality of its services. Here’s what Brown said:

“We empowered our instructor partners with tools that help create high-quality, on-demand, and immersive content faster and more efficiently. Further, we shared our generative AI product roadmap that will transform how professionals develop skills, organizations recruit and manage talent and instructors create content. Second, introduce validation of skills acquisition through badging and professional certification. We partnered with 1EdTech to bring the Open Badges standard to our platform. We introduced curated learning paths, hands-on labs, and assessments to support Udemy Business learners’ preparation for nearly 200 branded third-party certifications and badges. We also enabled learners to import those badges and certifications on to our platform to signal skills proficiency and to empower organizations with valuable data about their workforce’s capabilities.”

Pixabay/Public Domain

Our Methodology

To compile our list of countries with the best universities in Africa, we consulted reputable sources such as uniRank and EduRank. UniRank released the 2024 African University Ranking, evaluating the top 200 recognized higher education institutions in Africa. The universities included in the 2024 African University Ranking adhere to specific selection criteria. These criteria involve being officially chartered or accredited by the relevant higher education-related organization in each country. Additionally, these institutions are required to offer programs that include at least three-year bachelor’s degrees, as well as postgraduate master’s or doctoral degrees. Similarly, EduRank has ranked the top 100 universities in Africa based on various factors. We used these lists to count the top-ranked universities in each country in Africa, with a focus on identifying nations with a higher number of esteemed academic institutions. We have arranged the list in ascending order of the number of top-ranked universities in these countries.

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Now, let’s begin our list of countries with best universities in Africa. Most of these countries are home to the top 100 universities in Africa.

17 Countries With Best Universities in Africa

17. Malawi

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 1

The University of Malawi is the top-ranked university in Malawi. It was established in 1964 in the small city of Zomba in the Southern Region of Malawi. It is ranked 78 out of 1104 universities in Africa. The university has published 6,025 scientific papers, which have received 121,939 citations. The actual enrollment figures for the university are not shared, but the maximum range is between 5,000 to 6,000 students.

16. Zimbabwe

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 1

The University of Zimbabwe was established in 1955 as a non-profit public institution in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe. The University is a large-sized institution with enrollment figures of 18,000 students as of July 2023. It is ranked 38th out of 1,104 African universities and has an acceptance rate of 57%. The university has published 9,358 scientific papers and received 149,420 citations.

15. Botswana

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 1

Botswana is at the fifteenth place on our list of countries with best universities in Africa. The University of Botswana was established in the country in 1964. It is a non-profit institution located in the small city of Gaborone with branch campuses in Francistown and Maun. The university has published 8,178 scientific papers with 91,601 citations. The university has an acceptance rate of 72% and is ranked 31 out of 1104 African universities.

14. Senegal

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 1

Cheikh Anta Diop University is a non-profit public institution located in Dakar. It is a coeducational institution, ranked 26th out of 1,104 African universities, and has an acceptance rate of 67%. The university has published 7,378 scientific papers with 76,812 citations. The university does not report its enrollment figures, but the range is between 10,000 to 15,000 students, making it a large institution.

13. Ethiopia

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 2

Ethiopia boasts two high-ranking universities in Africa. Addis Ababa University is ranked 19th, while Jimma University (JU) is ranked 71 out of 1104 African universities. Acceptance rates are 65% for Addis Ababa, with 16,091 published scientific papers and 240,915 citations. JU has an acceptance rate of 78%, and it has 5,939 scientific papers to its credit, with 75,147 citations received. Addis Ababa University has an enrollment range of 45,000 to 50,000 students, while JU’s range is 30,000 to 35,000 students.

12. Namibia

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 2

The University of Namibia and the Namibia University of Science and Technology are the top two universities in Namibia, and they are ranked 44th and 95th in Africa, respectively. University of Namibia was founded in 1992 and has an acceptance rate of 52%. The university has 3,222 scientific publications with 37,657 citations. The Namibia University of Science and Technology has a 32% acceptance rate and has 1,713 scientific publications with 10,029 citations.

11. Sudan

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 2

There are two top-100-ranked universities in Sudan. The University of Khartoum is ranked 47, and the Sudan University of Science and Technology is ranked 77. The acceptance rate of these institutions is 9% and 71%, respectively. Enrollment for the University of Khartoum stands at 41,030 students as of 2023.

10. Uganda

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 2

Uganda has two high-ranking universities. Makerere University was founded in 1922 and is ranked 7th in Africa. Makerere University has an enrollment range of 30,000 to 35,000. Meanwhile, Mbarara University of Science and Technology was founded in 1989 and is ranked 86. It is a small university with an enrollment range of 2,000 to 3,000 students. Its acceptance rate is 8%, while that of Makerere University is 50%.

9. Tanzania

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 3

Tanzania is in ninth place on our list of countries with best universities in Africa. The University of Dar es Salaam is ranked 28, Sokoine University of Agriculture is ranked 49, and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences is ranked 80 in Africa. The University of Dar es Salaam was founded in 1970 and has an acceptance rate of 71%.

8. Ghana

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 3

There are three top-100-ranked universities in Ghana. The University of Ghana is ranked 14 in Africa and has an enrollment of 67,914, with an acceptance rate of 28%. It was founded in 1948. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is ranked 22 in Africa and has an acceptance rate of 54%. The University of Cape Coast was founded in 1962 and is ranked 52. Its acceptance rate is 60%. The University of Ghana has published 17,246 research papers and has 217,942 citations.

7. Algeria

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 4

Algeria is known to be home to the four best universities in Africa. The four universities include the University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene, ranked 54; the University of Tlemcen, ranked 61; the University of Constantine, ranked 85; and the Ferhat Abbas Setif University, ranked 93.

6. Tunisia

No. of Top-Ranked Universities: 5

Tunisia has five universities that rank in the top 100 universities in Africa. These institutions include the University of Sfax, securing the 53rd rank in Africa; the University of Tunis El Manar, ranked 68th; the University of Monastir, positioned at 70th; Tunis University, holding the 83rd spot; and the University of Carthage, positioned at 90th.

In addition to Tunisia, countries like Morocco are also on our list of countries with best universities in Africa.  The presence of companies like Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR), Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), ADvTECH Ltd (JSE:ADH), and Curro Holdings Ltd (JSE:COH) is an important factor shaping the educational landscape across many of these countries.