Nigeria Ranks Third Best English-Speaking Nation in Africa

Adeyemi Matthew 

Nigeria has been ranked as the third best English-speaking African country behind South Africa and Kenya which emerge first and second respectively. The Education First English Proficiency Index ranks countries by the equity of English language skills amongst adults who took the EF test, and in the 2022 edition, the ranking was calculated using test data from 2.1 million test takers in 2021.

The Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) has ranked Nigeria 3rd in Africa and 28th globally in its 2022 English Proficiency Index ranking of 111 countries and regions by English skills.

According to the ranking, Nigeria, with 564 English proficiency came ahead of Switzerland which took the 29th position, Argentina which came 30th, Hong Kong in China which came 31st, Italy which ranked 32nd, Spain which ranked 33rd and Ghana which emerged 41st globally respectively. 

The ranking on the regional level, of 20 African countries captured in the Education First English Proficiency Index, put Nigeria in 3rd position after South Africa which ranked 12th globally and first in Africa and Kenya which ranked 20th globally and 2nd in Africa. 

The Education First English Proficiency Index ranks countries by the equity of English language skills amongst adults who took the EF test, and in the 2022 edition, the ranking was calculated using test data from 2.1 million test takers in 2021.

According to the EF EPI ranking, a country is required to have at least 400 test takers to be included in the index. 

In 2022, 0ver 25,000 people signed a petition to stop foreign institutions from demanding an English proficiency test, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), from Nigerians.

The petition initiated by a youth-led open-source platform for policy ideas that address the world’s most pressing challenges called Policy Shapers, was addressed to the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Priti Patel.

The petitioners maintained that no country in Africa, out of the 27 who list English as one of their official languages, is on the Home Office list of countries exempted from taking the test, meanwhile, the UK Home Office has exempted Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and ten other countries from those who would require the test.

A few days ago, media space was filtered with the news of the British Council’s announcement of its decision to revise the fees for the Academic and General Training Modules of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations for Nigerian candidates, starting September 2023.

Whereas the current cost of the IELTS examination in Nigeria ranges between N80,000 and N90,000, the British Council’s revised fees will rise to N107,500.

Here is the list of African countries by English skills:

1. South Africa (12 globally)

2. Kenya (20 globally)

3. Nigeria (28 globally)

4. Ghana (41 globally)

5. Uganda  (55 globally)

6. Tunisia (56 globally)

7. Tanzania (63 globally)

8. Ethiopia (68 globally)

9. Morocco (76 globally)

10. Algeria (78 globally)

11. Egypt (85 globally)

12. Mozambique (86th globally)

13. Sudan (95 globally)

14. Cameroon (96 globally)

15. Somalia (100 globally)

16. Côte d’Ivoire (104 globally)

17. Angola (105 globally)

18. Rwanda (107 globally)

19. Libya (108 globally)

20. Democratic Republic of Congo (110 globally).

Here is the global ranking by English skills:

1. Netherlands

2. Singapore

3. Austria

4. Norway

5. Denmark

6. Belgium

7. Sweden

8. Finland

9. Portugal

10. Germany

11. Croatia

12. South Africa

13. Poland

14. Greece

15. Slovakia

16. Luxembourg

17. Romania

18. Hungary

19. Lithuania

20. Kenya

21. Bulgaria

22. Philippines

23. Czech Republic

24. Malaysia

25. Latvia

26. Estonia

27. Serbia

28. Nigeria

29. Switzerland

30. Argentina

31. Hong Kong, China

32. Italy

33. Spain

34. France

35. Ukraine

36. South Korea

37. Costa Rica

38. Cuba

39. Belarus

40. Russia

41. Ghana

42. Moldova

43. Paraguay

44. Bolivia

45. Chile

45. Georgia

47. Albania

48. Honduras

49. Uruguay

50. El Salvador

51. Peru

52. India

53. Dominican Republic

54. Lebanon

55. Uganda

56. Tunisia

57. Armenia

58. Brazil

58. Guatemala

60. Vietnam

61. Nicaragua

62. China

63. Tanzania

64. Turkey

65. Nepal

66. Bangladesh

67. Venezuela

68. Ethiopia

69. Iran

70. Pakistan

71. Sri Lanka

72. Mongolia

73. Qatar

74. Israel

75. Panama

76. Morocco

77. Colombia

78. U.A.E.

78. Algeria

80. Japan

81. Indonesia

82. Ecuador

83. Syria

84. Kuwait

85. Egypt

86. Mozambique

87. Afghanistan

88. Mexico

89. Uzbekistan

90. Jordan

91. Kyrgyzstan

92. Azerbaijan

93. Myanmar

94. Cambodia

95. Sudan

96. Cameroon

97. Thailand

98. Haiti

99. Kazakhstan

100. Somalia

101. Oman

102. Saudi Arabia

103. Iraq

104. Côte d’Ivoire

105. Angola

106. Tajikistan

107. Rwanda

108. Libya

109. Yemen

110. Democratic Republic of Congo

111. Laos

 

August 14, 2023