Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) was nominated, for the first time, to be part of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023.

This is a reflection of the progress of African higher education institutions, and EMU is part of a group of 96 other universities from 17 countries that were selected for the Ranking this year. Last year 71 universities had been selected.

"Africa saw participation increase by 36.6%, with rankings increasing from 71 to 97 institutions - this is the largest increase of any continent. Five new African countries appear in the Rankings for the first time: Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe," reads, on the portal "timeshighereducation".

The best university in Africa is the one in Cape Town, South Africa, which in the previous ranking was ranked 183rd and has now jumped 23 places to 160th. This is the only one among the best 200 universities in the world.

Two other South African universities, Stellenbosch University and the University of the Witwatersrand, or Wits, are both in the 251 to 300 category, tied for second place, while Ghana's University of Cape Coast, in the 351 to 400 bracket, was placed fourth.

World University Rankings 2023 are now live! Read our analysis and browse the full results #WUR2023 #THEunirankings https://t.co/B756kDXFKd pic.twitter.com/D9ORaBfZNe

- Times Higher Education (@timeshighered) October 12, 2022

For the seventh year in a row, Oxford University in England remained at the top of the ranking.

Tanzania's Muhimbili University of Allied Health and Sciences, a newcomer to the ranking, has entered the top 500 universities in the world, as it was placed in the 401 to 500 range.

Compared to the other top ranked universities in Africa, Muhimbili is relatively new, as it was separated from the University of Dar es Salaam and was only granted full university status by the Tanzania Universities Commission in 2007.

Commenting on the progress made by universities in Africa, Phil Baty, the Times Higher Education's chief knowledge officer, said the data indicate that these universities are becoming more prominent and competitive on the world stage.

"Not only has the University of Cape Town moved up in the rankings this year, but the overall representation for Africa has greatly increased its knowledge economy," Baty told University World News on October 12, when the classifications were released.