Makerere ranked 5th best African university
BY NOBERT ATUKUNDA
& DAMALIE MUHAKYE
KAMPALA- Makerere University is Africa’s fifth best university and the best in East Africa, according to the latest World University rankings by Times Higher Education.
The ranking places Makerere together with Mansoura University in Egypt, the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Durban University of Technology in South Africa, among others in the same position.
Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, said the ranking means the institution is on the right course, despite attempts by “detractors” to disrupt the strategy.
“We are on course to becoming a research-intensive university. We still have few non performers whom we need to get rid of and we will be unstoppable. The Forbes Institute this year recognised Makerere as the university which produces the best entrepreneurial graduates,” Prof Nawangwe said on Friday.
He added that this is a huge vote of confidence in Makerere.
The rankings included more than 1,500 universities across 93 countries and regions.
Selection criteria
The survey is based on four performance areas of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
The best university in Africa is the University of Cape Town in South Africa, followed by the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
The best universities in the world based on the rankings are University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Harvard University.
The ranking also places Makerere University Medical School as second best in Africa.
Prof Nawangwe said the university has improved by 200 place globally, moving from being among the 700 to 900 to being among the best 400 to 500 universities.
“This means we have made huge improvements in research and teaching. Our medical school is our flagship and it is the second best in Africa and among the best 100 medical schools globally,” Prof Nawangwe said.
Ranking
Fifth position
The ranking places Makerere together with Mansoura University in Egypt, the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Durban University of Technology in South Africa, among others in the same position.
