The Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor Denis Aheto, has reaffirmed the university’s commitment to maintaining its relevance among global universities, following the release of the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR).
UCC was ranked the number one university in both Ghana and West Africa, and placed 11th among universities on the African continent.
Speaking at a news conference in Cape Coast on Friday to announce the institution’s performance in the THE WUR, Prof. Aheto indicated that UCC also emerged as the top university in Ghana for Quality Education (SDG 4) in this year’s THE Impact Rankings, which were released earlier in the year.
A total of 2,191 institutions across 115 countries and territories qualified to be assessed in the 2026 rankings.
The annual THE WUR is regarded as the most comprehensive global university rankings league table, used to evaluate and compare research-intensive universities based on five core missions: teaching environment, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry/knowledge transfer.
Prof. Aheto stated: “With this streak of excellence spanning half a decade, UCC has consistently demonstrated a sterling performance as a research-intensive university, not only in Ghana, West Africa, and Africa, but also globally.”
“With this remarkable performance, UCC remains the only university in Ghana that has achieved this position in the West African sub-region,” he added.
He further said: “Overall, UCC was ranked No. 1 (tie) in Ghana in the Impact Rankings. Again, UCC ranked 101–200 globally for Quality Education and is the only university in Ghana ranked in the 101–200 band for Life Below Water (SDG 14).”
Prof. Aheto explained that these achievements attest to the high-quality and reputable scholarly research output of UCC, particularly over the past decade. “By this feat, UCC has demonstrated its continuous and impactful scholarly contribution to the national, sub-regional, regional, and global higher education ecosystem,” he noted.
He acknowledged the relentless efforts and deep commitment of faculty, staff, and students towards conducting cutting-edge and impactful research of societal relevance.
Moreover, he explained that the rankings are used by several key stakeholders in higher education for informed decision-making. “THE WUR data serve as a benchmark for governments to assess how the higher education ecosystem is faring, as well as its competitiveness in relation to other universities,” he said.
Prof. Aheto added that universities use the rankings as an important branding and marketing tool to attract local and international students, partners, and external scholars and collaborators when choosing their preferred tertiary institutions for academic pursuits.
Picture: Prof. Denis Aheto, Acting Vice Chancellor of UCC, addressing the news conference.
FROM DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, CAPE COAST
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