The University of Ibadan (UI) has maintained its position as Nigeria's leading university in the latest AD Scientific Index rankings. The rankings, refreshed on October 1, 2026, placed Nigeria third in Africa and 48th globally among 221 countries. According to Professor Peter Okebukola, Chairman of the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), the index covered 53,580 Nigerian scientists across 384 institutions.
The University of Ibadan ranked 889th among nearly 19,800 universities globally, placing it among the top 4.5 percent of universities worldwide. This makes UI the only Nigerian university in the global top 1,000. The university improved its position from 904th in the mid-August ranking to 889th in the October update. UI has maintained the 14th position in Africa across the 2025, 2026, and 2027 editions of the ranking.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), retained second position in Nigeria, ranking 1,227th globally and 31st in Africa. Covenant University emerged as the third-best Nigerian university, while the University of Lagos (UNILAG) ranked fourth nationally. Other top universities in Nigeria include Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ilorin, Ahmadu Bello University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and Bayero University.
Federal universities occupied at least eight of the top 10 positions nationally, describing these institutions as the core of Nigeria's research strength. The report revealed that Nigeria's presence in the global rankings had continued to expand, with the number of Nigerian universities ranked increasing from 257 in the 2024 edition to more than 300 in 2026.
Covenant University recorded the largest individual movement among Nigerian institutions, rising 457 places from 1,857th globally in the 2026 edition to 1,400th in the 2027 edition. Mayowa Owolabi of the University of Ibadan emerged as Nigeria's most cited scholar, with 257,748 citations, placing him 676th among more than 2.6 million researchers indexed globally.
The report also highlighted the performance of Nigerian researchers, with Shafiu Mohammed of Ahmadu Bello University ranking second in Nigeria with 242,300 citations and a global ranking of 776th. Olayinka Ilesanmi of the University of Ibadan ranked third in Nigeria with 185,602 citations. The report noted that 16 of the 22 Nigeria-based scholars in the national top 25 by citations are affiliated with federal universities.
According to Professor Okebukola, the developments reflect increasing research visibility across Nigeria's university system. However, he stressed the need for the country to move beyond visibility to stronger research impact, increased international collaboration, and sustained investment in leading research groups. The gains provide evidence of the growing capacity of Nigerian universities and researchers to compete within the global knowledge economy.
Key points
- University of Ibadan leads Nigeria in AD Scientific Index rankings
- Nigerian universities record significant gains in global research visibility
- Federal universities dominate top 10 positions in Nigeria
