YABATECH Empowers 34 Certified Global Rankers to Boost International Visibility

Funmi Ogundare

Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) recently trained and certified 34 members of staff as professional institutional rankers as part of a drive to attain world-class academic standards and improve international visibility.
The certification followed a six-week intensive capacity-building programme themed, ‘Mastering University Rankings for Global Visibility’, facilitated by the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE) under the leadership of Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola.
Coordinated by the institution’s Human Resource Development Centre, the training introduced participants to key global ranking systems, including the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, ARWU, Webometrics, AD Scientific Index, and Clarivate Analytics.
Presenting a report to the College Management Committee, the Director of the Human Resource Development Centre, Dr Moruf Adebakin, said that YABATECH ranked among the top-performing institutions in the programme.
He disclosed that 18 participants graduated with distinction, 10 with credit, two with merit, and one with a pass, bringing the number of successful participants to 34. He added that all successful participants were inducted as pioneer members of the Association of Ranking Professionals (ARP), founded by Okebukola, thereby earning certification as Chartered Rankers with expertise in global institutional ranking systems.
Adebakin, however, emphasised a major gap in the global academic visibility of Nigerian polytechnics, saying that none currently ranks prominently on major international platforms, except for marginal appearances in Webometrics, where YABATECH remains far from leading institutions.
He explained that institutional ranking is closely tied to the visibility and productivity of individual scholars, particularly in areas such as Google Scholar presence, Scopus indexing, citation impact, digital footprint, and effective data management.
To bridge this gap, he called for the establishment of a global ranking committee to develop and implement a strategic framework to guide departments and staff in meeting international ranking requirements.
The director expressed optimism that with deliberate action, the college could compete favourably with top African and global institutions within two years.
Adebakin also commended the participants for self-funding the programme, describing their commitment as a rare demonstration of dedication to institutional growth.
In his response, YABATECH Rector, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, commended the participants for their patriotism and pursuit of excellence, describing their achievement as a proud milestone for the institution.
He noted that, unlike many institution-sponsored trainings that yield minimal results, the participants distinguished themselves by excelling independently and returning with impactful knowledge.
He directed that letters of commendation be issued to all participants and approved the establishment of the proposed Global Ranking Committee, which will be composed of the newly certified professionals.
He also endorsed a cascading training model that will enable the rankers to transfer their knowledge across all academic and non-academic units of the college.
“The Human Resource Development Centre and the Staff Development and Training Unit have been tasked with coordinating the initiative,” he stated.
According to him, the college will sponsor the internal training sessions, while the certified rankers will serve as resource persons to institutionalise a culture of research visibility, academic excellence, and global competitiveness.
“We must ensure that YABATECH attains a strong ranking nationally, continentally, and globally. This goes beyond prestige. It is about visibility, credibility, partnerships, and growth,” the rector said.