10 oldest universities in Africa

By Mmesoma Goodness

African universities have a long and rich history of scholarship, with some of the continent’s most important centres of learning dating back more than 1,000 years.

Some of these institutions began as mosques, madrasas and centres of Islamic scholarship before evolving into institutions recognised as universities in the modern era. Others began as colleges or higher-education institutions during the 19th century and later acquired full university status.

Because of these differences, the ranking below is based broadly on the earliest documented origins of the institution or educational tradition that developed into the present-day institution, rather than s...