African universities still underperforms in a given sectors due to a number of factors that can be averted to make them more competitive at the global stage, which has been largely revolutionized technologically.
Perhaps one would want to ask a simple question: why are African Universities underperforming? Despite the growing number of universities in the region needed to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of students annually, governance has largely failed to address the academic stagnation.
Underfunding is the biggest contributor to dismal performance in Most African universities. Bright minds are needed to revolutionize economies through research and technological advancement, which most African higher learning institutions are failing to address.
However, it’s the role of the government to ensure that Universities are properly funded and staffed. The reality is that Education in Africa is the least funded sector—decapitating the ability to boost research in the region. Funding issues is furthered coupled with corruption endemic, that has continuously cut-off bright minds from pursuing desirable career opportunities.
In pre-independence Africa, students were sent abroad to higher learning education in some of the most prestigious institutions, which would later allow them to advocate to transformative reforms back home. Some of the beneficiaries were the pre-independence African nationalists, who campaigned along freedom fighters to Liberate Africans from colonial capture.
However, even in post-colonial Africa, colonial legacies, which emphasizes rote learning and memorization other than critical thinking and problem-solving skills, still continues to manifest African Education system. This outdated approach hinders innovative research development and limits the ability of the universities to adapt to the changing needs in the 21st century.
Poor research culture, which is essential for the performance of universities, and economic development are largely orchestrated by inadequate finances. Most African universities struggle to foster research due to inadequate infrastructure and incentives needed to facilitate such activities. It’s worth noting that underfunding has plunged many universities into deep debt, rendering them defunct.
The decline in quality of education and research in African countries has as well been drastically driven by political interference. Politics is a menace in Africa, which thrives on individualism rather than collective and communal interests. This has hampered academic freedom and infrastructure development.
Top 20 Best Universities in Africa 2025—Times Higher Education
Located in the South African capital, Cape Town, the University of Cape Town is the best university in Africa in 2025. According to the World University Ranking by the Times Higher Education, the University of Cape Town emerged in the top 200 best universities in the world.
Overall, at least eight South African universities appeared in the top 20 in the region. Nine Egyptian universities are in the top 20, with Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology emerging at the top.
Nigeria’s Covenant University and Ghana’s University of Cape Coast are among the Sub-Saharan African countries that rank among the top 20 best universities in Africa in 2025. Moroccan, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, was ranked 4th in the region.
Source: Times Higher Learning
