ABUAD Rises in Global THE Sustainability Impact Ratings, Leads Nigerian Counterparts, Top 10 Emerges
- Afe Babalola University, founded by a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola, rose to 72nd globally in THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026
- The ranking assesses universities on their contributions to the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs)
- Seven private universities in Nigeria made a notable statement, featuring in the top 10 in their country, according to the latest sustainability rankings
Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is an Editor at Legit.ng, with a keen focus on African development and global education trends.
Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state - Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has recorded a major achievement in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026.
ABUAD's overall ranking surged from the 84th band in 2025 to 72nd place globally, retaining its place in the top 100 for the third year running.
Source: Twitter
Legit.ng reports that the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings (previously THE Impact Rankings) is the only global ranking measuring how institutions worldwide advance sustainability in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The 2026 rankings evaluated 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories across 17 individual SDG tables and one overall ranking.
The overall ranking is based on an institution's score in SDG 17 and its three best-performing SDGs, using only the categories for which it submitted data and evidence. SDG 17, known as 'Partnerships for the Goals', promotes stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector, and civil society to achieve the UN's SDGs. It is regarded as a foundational goal, supporting the implementation of the other 16 SDGs through financing, technology transfer, capacity building, trade, and data sharing.
Top 10 universities in Nigeria
Below are the top 10 universities in Nigeria, according to the latest THE Sustainability Impact Rankings 2026:
University | Ranking |
Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state | 72nd in the world |
Covenant University, Ota, Ogun state | 201-300 |
Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun state | 201-300 |
Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara state | 301-400 |
University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba, Lagos state | 601-800 |
American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa state | 801-1,000 |
Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos state | 801-1,000 |
Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun state | 1,001-1,500 |
Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti state | 1,001-1,500 |
Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano state | 1,001-1,500 |
Key takeaways from THE sustainability impact ratings 2026
- Afe Babalola University in Ekiti state is No.1 in Nigeria
- With seven representatives, private establishments have the most universities in the ranking
- Bishop David Oyedepo's Covenant University remained in the 201-300 range
- At least 10 Nigerian tertiary institutions are in the 72-1,500 range
Source: UGC
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- LASU first-class graduate in Biochemistry recounts lecturer's statement that inspired her success
5 Nigerian universities make CWUR 2026 list
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR) released its 2026 Global 2000 list of top universities.
According to CWUR, 21,291 institutions were evaluated, with only the highest-performing universities making it into the Global 2000 list.
In the rankings, five Nigerian universities are featured among the 2,000 top tertiary institutions worldwide.
Source: Legit.ng
