The University of Ghana has been ranked as the best university in Ghana and second-best in West Africa in the 2023 edition of the Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

The University was also considered part of the top 6.1% of world-class universities by the Centre.

This outstanding recognition solidifies the University’s position as the leading institution in Ghana and the second-best in West Africa.

The CWUR’s rigorous assessment process evaluated 20,531 universities worldwide, with only the top 2000 making it to the Global 2000 list.

The rankings were based on seven objective indicators across four areas, which are, education quality, alumni employment, faculty quality, and research performance.

Scoring an impressive 69.1, the University of Ghana secured the top spot in Ghana. In the West Africa Region, the University of Ghana’s remarkable performance positioned it as the second-best University, just behind Nigeria’s University of Ibadan, which achieved a score of 69.5.

This notable achievement comes at a time that the University is celebrating its 75th Anniversary and is testament to the University of Ghana’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, innovative research, and holistic student development over its 75 years of existence.

The University’s impressive performance in key areas such as academic reputation, research output, faculty quality, international collaborations, and graduate employability, solidifies its reputation as an intellectual hub and provider of high-quality education.

Reacting to the ranking, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University, expressed her joy and attributed this success to the resilience, dedication and hard work of the faculty, staff, and students. She emphasised that this achievement reflects the University’s collective commitment to excellence and the relentless pursuit of knowledge.

The Premier University’s recognition as the leading institution in the country and the second-best in West Africa is a source of immense pride for the nation as it has long been regarded as a beacon of higher education. The University has and continues to nurture generations of leaders, scholars, and professionals who contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Ghana and beyond.

With this remarkable milestone, the University of Ghana has firmly established itself as a leading force in academia, setting new benchmarks for higher education in Ghana in particular and West Africa as a whole.

Background

Since 2012, the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has been publishing the academic ranking of global universities that assesses the quality of education, employability, quality of faculty, and research without relying on surveys and university data submissions.

The ranking started out as a project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with the aim of rating the top 100 world universities. It was quickly reported worldwide by universities and the media, and many requests were received to expand it. In 2019, the ranking expanded to list the top 2000 out of nearly twenty thousand universities worldwide, making it the largest academic ranking of global universities.

Details of the 2023 Edition captures the CWUR seven objective and robust indicators grouped into four areas to rank the world’s universities.

For Education, the assessment is based on the academic success of a university’s alumni, and measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won prestigious academic distinctions relative to the university’s size and attracts 25% of the scores. 

Employability is the second area assessed and is based on the professional success of a university’s alumni, and measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held top positions at major companies relative to the university’s size which also attracts 25%.

10% of the scores are dedicated to Faculty, which is measured by the number of faculty members who have won prestigious academic distinctions.

On Research area, the assessment is focused on, Research Output measured by the total number of research papers (10%); High-Quality Publications, measured by the number of research papers appearing in top-tier journals (10%); Influence, measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals (10%) and Citations, measured by the number of highly-cited research papers (10%)