Top 15 Best Engineering Universities In Africa As Of 2023

Are you an African student looking for the best Engineering Universities? If yes, then this informative article is for you. You will be given detailed information about the top 15 best engineering universities in Africa.

When choosing from the best universities in Africa for engineering, you need to determine various factors before enrolling. Some of these include the academic quality of the engineering programmes, research activity, academic achievements, faculty resources, and degrees awarded.

Also, determine things like acceptance rate and student-faculty ratios before enrolling. But since all this can be challenging to figure out, here is a list of the best engineering universities and schools in Africa that are worth your consideration.

Top 15 Best Engineering Universities In Africa

Determining things like acceptance rate and student-faculty ratios before enrolling is important. Here is a list of the best engineering universities and schools in Africa that are worth your consideration:

1. University of Cape Town – South Africa

The University of Cape Town is one of the best engineering universities for aspiring engineers. Its Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment offers several engineering courses. Some of these include:

• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment at the institution has earned an outstanding reputation worldwide for its high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate education. Students benefit from various research specialisations and up-to-date courses in all branches of engineering.

2. University of Witwatersrand – South Africa

The University of Witwatersrand offers engineering programmes through its Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. The institution is one of the good engineering universities in Africa for students to learn several engineering courses, including:

• Aeronautical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering

The engineering department has the highest number of endowed professorships and provides society with well-educated and entrepreneurial graduates in engineering and the built environment. Furthermore, it is one of the best research institutions in South Africa and gives students access to the resources they need for their studies.

3. Stellenbosch University – South Africa

Stellenbosch University offers the best engineering education in Africa. It has a Faculty of Engineering established in 1944, making it one of the oldest on the continent. The department is one of South Africa’s preeminent producers of top quality engineers. It has offered outstanding research and consulting services for many decades. Some of its programmes include:

• Civil Engineering
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Stellenbosch University also boasts of the highest weighted research output per full-time academic staff member. Its student success rate is one of the highest in Africa.

4. University of KwaZulu Natal – South Africa

The University of KwaZulu Natal is one of the most productive universities in South Africa in terms of research output. The institution has an international reputation for academic excellence and provides a wide range of innovative and multi-disciplinary courses. It has a School of Engineering that offers several engineering programmes, including:

• Bioresources Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

The School of Engineering also offers eight areas of specialisation. These areas provide students with professional registration and access to numerous career opportunities.

5. University of Johannesburg – South Africa

The University of Johannesburg has transformed into a diverse, inclusive, transformational, and collegial institution, with a student population of over 50 000. It offers engineering courses through the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment. The programmes include:

• Electrical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Mining, Metallurgy, and Chemical Engineering

The engineering programmes are available for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

6. Cairo University – Egypt

Cairo University is a premier public university in Egypt and one of the top universities in Africa. The university offers many engineering courses. These include:

• Electrical Engineering
• Communication and Computer Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Architectural Engineering and Technology
• Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Energy Engineering
• Aeronautical Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University has been at the forefront in developing fundamental and practical research methodologies. It directs its research towards finding solutions to meet different industry needs. Students have unlimited resources that boost their learning activities.

7. University of Pretoria – South Africa

The University of Pretoria is a top university in Africa and the most prominent contact university in South Africa. It offers engineering courses through its Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment, and Information Technology. The department focuses its research, teaching, and learning activities on bringing competitive knowledge to the industry, education, and society. Some of its engineering programmes include:

• Industrial Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronic Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Metallurgical Engineering
• Mining Engineering
• Computer Engineering

The University of Pretoria is one of the best civil engineering universities in South Africa. Its Civil Engineering course falls under the Department of Civil Engineering. It has produced about 40% of all civil engineers in South Africa over the past 50 years.

8. University of Ibadan – Nigeria

The University of Ibadan is one of the best universities in Africa to study Mechanical Engineering. It has a Department of Petroleum Engineering that has trained hundreds of Petroleum Engineers for the Nigerian Petroleum Industry and beyond. Over 50% of the Petroleum Engineering workforce in Nigeria derived their initial professional training from the institution.

But the university also offers other engineering courses. Some of these include Civil Engineering, Agricultural & Environmental Engineering, Industrial Production Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, and Wood Products Engineering.

9. Mansoura University – Egypt

Mansoura University began as a Faculty of Medicine under the authority of Cairo University. But over the years, it created more faculties, including the Faculty of Engineering. The department has been at the top of engineering research since its establishment. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in:

• Construction Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering
• Medical and Biological Engineering
• Chemical and Environmental Engineering

The university takes pride in its strategic partnerships with industry and partner academic institutions through research, collaboration, and consultancy.

10. Addis Ababa University – Ethiopia

Addis Abba University is the oldest and distinguished learning and research institution in Ethiopia. Since 1950, the university has been the leading centre in teaching-learning, research, and community services. Its engineering courses are the best in the country and ranked highly in Africa. These include:

• Civil and Environment Engineering
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Chemical and BioEngineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Addis Abba University is the best institution in Africa for learning Railway Engineering. The programme is available for both local and international students.

11. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology – Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology has been a world-class academic centre of excellence for many decades. It is a top institution that has spearheaded West Africa’s pursuit of technological advancement. The university offers some of the best engineering courses in Africa for both local and international students. These include:

• Civil and Geo-Engineering
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Students can also enrol to study Biomedical Engineering, Software Engineering, and Thermal Engineering.

12. Makerere University – Uganda

Makerere University is one of the highest-ranked universities in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. It offers many engineering programmes to both national and international students. These include:

• Civil Engineering
• Telecommunication Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

The university has one of the best electrical engineering colleges in Africa.

Makerere University offers a conducive environment for students to learn, research, and innovate. That is one reason the institution ranked the fourth best university in Africa in 2016. All engineering programmes conform to the Washington Accord.

13. University of Nairobi – Kenya

The University of Nairobi is a top collegiate research institution in Africa. It offers engineering courses through its School of Engineering. It is one of the best engineering schools in the continent, credited for its cutting-edge research opportunities and access to resources. Some of its programmes include:

• Civil and Construction Engineering
• Electrical and Information Engineering
• Environmental and Biosystems Engineering
• Geospatial and Space Technology
• Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

The University of Nairobi has both undergraduate and postgraduate engineering courses. Its programmes are available for local and international students.

14. North-West University – South Africa

The North-West University is one of the top engineering schools in South Africa and Africa in general. It has a Faculty of Engineering that functions as a dynamic training hub for world-class, versatile, and innovative engineering. NWU is one of the few institutions of higher learning in Africa where students can study Nuclear Engineering. Other courses under the Faculty include:

• Chemical and Minerals Engineering
• Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Industrial Engineering

Students can enrol for both graduate and postgraduate courses in engineering. All programmes meet the standards set by the Washington Accord.

15. Ain Shams University – Egypt

Ain Shams University is one of the best academic and research institutions for aspiring engineers. It offers several engineering courses through its Faculty of Engineering. Some of these include:

• Computer and Systems Engineering
• Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering
• Mechanical Power Engineering
• Structural Engineering

The university encourages study abroad opportunities for students. It also has several academic partnerships with international institutions, such as the University of Birmingham and Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, McGill University in Canada, and Monash University in Australia.

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