For decades, global university rankings have played an influential role in shaping perceptions of institutional excellence. While they have provided valuable points of comparison, many of the metrics used to assess universities were developed without African contexts, priorities, or aspirations in mind. As conversations about the future of higher education on the continent continue to evolve, an important question emerges: who should define excellence in African higher education?
The Education Collaborative believes that the answer should be informed by African institutions themselves. Through the Africa Higher Education Rankings initiative, it is working with stakeholders across the continent to develop a framework that reflects African realities, priorities, and ambitions, while being shaped by the institutions it is intended to serve.
A strong advocate for the Africa Higher Education Rankings, Vice-Chancellor of Central University, Prof. Kwasi Dartey-Baah, reflects on the vision behind the initiative: “The goal is to develop a rankings system for Africans that intentionally tells Africa’s story. In developing a rankings system for Africans, we should clearly craft the African story and lace it into the design.”
Executive Director of The Education Collaborative, Rose Dodd, shared a similar sentiment during one of the stakeholder consultations: “It’s about time we asked ourselves how long we want to be measured by a yardstick that we haven’t contributed to.” Her words capture a sentiment shared by many participants: African institutions should play a leading role in defining the standards by which their excellence is assessed.
Many widely recognized global rankings place significant emphasis on indicators such as research output, citation counts, international reputation, and global visibility. While these measures remain important, they do not always capture the full scope of the work undertaken by African institutions.
Across the continent, universities play a critical role in workforce development, entrepreneurship, community engagement, public service, and nation-building. The Africa Higher Education Rankings seeks to recognize these contributions alongside more traditional measures of academic performance, encouraging a more holistic understanding of institutional excellence and ensuring that their impact is measured in ways reflective of these realities.
The journey toward developing Africa’s first continent-wide higher education rankings system is firmly underway. In March 2026, The Education Collaborative hosted an in-person stakeholder engagement session during its West Africa Hub Convening. The gathering provided an opportunity for university leaders and higher education stakeholders to discuss the proposed rankings framework and contribute ideas that will help shape its design. Similar engagements were held virtually in April and May 2026, expanding the conversation and bringing together diverse voices from across Africa’s higher education landscape. By engaging stakeholders before finalizing the framework, The Education Collaborative is ensuring that the rankings are informed by perspectives from across the continent and grounded in the realities of African institutions. This consultative approach fosters mutual ownership and contextual relevance.
As the initiative enters its next phase, the application window for the Interim Advisory Committee (IAC) has officially closed. The strong response from across the continent reflects growing interest in helping shape an African-led framework for measuring higher education excellence. The committee will play a critical role in establishing the governance architecture of the rankings, ensuring its credibility, transparency, and long-term sustainability as the initiative continues to advance.
Nhyira Sam, Director, Africa Higher Education Rankings notes: “Rankings shouldn’t just measure performance – they should drive it. We are co-creating a yardstick developed by African institutions, for African institutions, turning data into action that shapes policy and strengthens higher education systems.”
That vision captures the broader ambition of the Africa Higher Education Rankings: not simply to measure excellence, but to help shape it. By creating a framework that reflects African realities and encourages continuous improvement, the initiative has the potential to strengthen institutions, inform policy, and redefine how higher education excellence is understood across the continent.
Learn more about the Africa Higher Education Rankings and follow the initiative’s journey here.
This article was originally published by The Education Collaborative and is republished here with permission.
The Education Collaborative is a pan-African network advancing higher education through collaborative research, practice-driven programs, and shared accountability among universities and education leaders, with a focus on strengthening graduate outcomes and long-term institutional impact.