Africa has recorded a major milestone in higher education assessment as the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE) graduated 1,403 certified ranking professionals and launched the continent’s first home-grown African University Ranking System (AURS).

The Director/Facilitator-General of VICBHE, Peter Okebukola, disclosed this in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja, describing the development as a bold step toward strengthening Africa’s global academic competitiveness.

The ceremony, held on March 31, also featured the inauguration of the Association of Ranking Professionals (ARP), a body established to serve as the professional backbone for ranking practitioners across Africa.

VICBHE, which evolved from the Virtual Institute for Higher Education Pedagogy (VIHEP) under the National Universities Commission, has continued to expand its influence in capacity building across the continent.

Okebukola noted that the event marked the conclusion of Module 12 of the institute’s flagship programme, “Mastering University Rankings for Global Visibility.” The training lasted seven weeks and included practical sessions, weekly assessments, and live lectures.

Out of 2,409 participants, about 90 per cent were from Nigerian institutions, while others came from countries including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.
Participants were trained in major global ranking systems such as Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings, alongside other frameworks like ARWU, Webometrics, Leiden, CWUR, AD Scientific Index, and Clarivate analytics.

Okebukola urged the graduates—the largest cohort of ranking professionals ever trained in Africa—to return to their institutions and champion quality data management, global visibility, and evidence-based decision-making.

The keynote address was delivered by Ellen Hazelkorn, a globally recognised authority on university rankings. Other distinguished speakers included Jamil Salmi, Olgun Cicek, and N. V. Varghese.

Awards were presented to outstanding participants, with Charity Akuadi Okonkwo of the National Open University of Nigeria emerging as Best Overall Participant. Other awardees included Ibiyinka Agboola Fuwape of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University and Mohammed Nasiru Maiturare of Ahmadu Bello University.

Meanwhile, Umar Nouruddeen Bashir, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, was sworn in as the inaugural President of ARP following a continent-wide election.

A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of AURS, designed to address concerns that global ranking systems often fail to reflect African realities and societal impact. The framework aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and draws insights from the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee.

Okebukola said the AURS would complement existing global rankings while providing a more accurate representation of African universities’ performance and serving as a strategic tool for institutional development across the continent