Ghana's higher education sector has seen a notable boost after two of its prominent public universities, the University of Ghana (UG) and the University of Cape Coast (UCC), secured spots in the top 10 in Africa according to the Times Higher Education (THE) Africa University Rankings for 2027. This achievement marks the first time Ghana has had two universities simultaneously ranked in the continental top bracket. The rankings assessed 191 universities from 20 African countries.
The University of Cape Town retained its position as Africa's top university, a status it has consistently held in previous editions of the ranking. UG and UCC are tied at the 10th position in Africa and are also ranked within the global band of 801–1000 by Times Higher Education, with an overall score range of 36.4 to 40.1. This score range is identical to several other institutions that share the joint 10th spot.
The University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast have different strengths according to the THE rankings. UCC scored 24.3 in teaching, outperforming UG in that category. Conversely, UG scored 36.0 in research environment, surpassing UCC's score in the same metric. The research environment indicator considers factors such as research income, productivity, and the reputation of an institution's research output.
Ghana's joint 10th-place finish positions UG and UCC alongside institutions from Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Uganda. These include Cairo University, Al-Azhar University, Makerere University, Covenant University, University of Ibadan, and University of Lagos, all of which are also ranked within the 801–1000 global band. This clustering indicates a competitive landscape among African universities.
The THE Africa University Rankings evaluate institutions across several key areas, including teaching quality, research output, international collaboration, knowledge transfer, and industry connections. The methodology aims to assist students, academics, university administrators, policymakers, and industry partners in assessing higher education performance across the continent.
Egypt had the largest number of ranked universities with 40, followed by Algeria with 31 and South Africa with 17. For prospective students and their families in Ghana, a stronger continental ranking can influence decisions about where to study and how Ghanaian degrees are perceived by employers and international partners.
The current rankings do not address enrolment capacity or access, issues that Ghana's public universities face due to high applicant numbers competing for limited admission slots each academic year. There is no information on a timeline for the next THE Africa rankings cycle or whether UG or UCC plan to target further improvements in subsequent editions.
Key points
- University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast are ranked among Africa's top 10 universities.
- The rankings assess institutions across teaching quality, research output, and other key areas.
- Egypt had the largest number of ranked universities with 40.
