By Charmaine Ndlela
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has partnered with Applied Higher Education (AppliedHE) to launch the All-Africa Rankings Initiative, aimed at developing an African-informed framework for measuring excellence across the continent’s public and private higher education institutions.
UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela said the project represents a fundamental shift in how African universities are recognised, adding that the continent should play a leading role in defining its own standards of excellence rather than relying solely on global ranking systems.
“This All-Africa Rankings Initiative does not begin with rankings; it begins with listening, collaboration and co-creation,” Moshabela said.
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“It starts with a fundamental question: What should excellence in African fourth-generation universities look like in the 21st century?”
He said that the answer cannot be determined by a single university or country, but must emerge through collaboration among university leaders, governments, policymakers, industry, researchers and communities across Africa.
The initiative will officially begin with the inaugural All-Africa Higher Education Xchange, which will be co-hosted by UCT and AppliedHE from 31 August to 1 September 2026 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town. The gathering will bring together higher education stakeholders from across the continent to help shape a rankings framework that reflects Africa’s priorities, strengths and aspirations.
Among the areas expected to shape the framework are graduate employability, innovation and entrepreneurship, societal and economic impact, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, transformation and inclusion, public policy contributions, African and international partnerships, and the advancement of African knowledge systems.
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“Our objective is not simply to determine who ranks first. It is to ask a far more important question: what kind of university does Africa need for tomorrow, and how do we measure what matters most,” Moshabela said.
He said that the project is not intended to replace existing global rankings but to complement them by ensuring African perspectives play a greater role in shaping how institutional excellence is measured worldwide.
“We believe that the universities with the greatest impact in the decades ahead will be those that combine academic excellence with societal relevance; global engagement with local responsiveness; innovation with inclusion; entrepreneurial thinking with sustainable development; and knowledge creation with human flourishing,” Moshabela said.
He called on universities and stakeholders across the continent to participate in the initiative, saying the collaborative process presents an opportunity for Africa to redefine how excellence in higher education is recognised, measured and celebrated.
“Together, we can help define how African universities are recognised, measured and celebrated, and, in doing so, write the next chapter of African higher education.”
