You read that right! The National University of Lesotho (NUL), through its Master’s in Economics Program, has secured the No. 1 spot among nine competing African universities this year! This achievement comes after 17 NUL Master’s students outperformed their peers from eight great African Universities to claim the top position.

Among those dethroned is Uganda’s venerable (2) University of Makerere which took the 2nd Position! Then we had the following: (3) University of Zimbabwe, (4) University of Namibia, (5) University of Malawi, (6) Cape Coast University, (7) University of Botswana, (8) University of Zambia and (9) Kwame Nkrumer University of Science and Technology!

“Needless to say, we’re over the moon with these results,” exclaimed Dr. Leseko Makhetha, the Head of the NUL Department of Economics.

And he has every reason to be!

These rankings are based on the performance of Master’s students at the end of a semester in which students from these nine prestigious African universities are taught together. This year, NUL fielded all its Master’s students—an impressive 17 in total.

“We suspect other universities select only their best students for this competition, but we don’t. We believe all our students are the best—and they didn’t disappoint!” said an elated Mr. Kalebe Kalebe, NUL Economics Lecturer and PhD candidate at UCT.

“This is a remarkable achievement when you consider where it all started,” added Ms. Nthabiseng Koatsa, former Head of the Department of Economics, who played a key role in NUL’s deeper engagement with AERC.

Unlike some other African universities, NUL does not host AERC programs, where students from across the continent come to study. However, after persistent efforts, NUL was given a chance to host in 2019, just for a taste. The brightest Economics students from Africa flocked to NUL—and left with glowing reviews of the university and its exceptional teaching staff.

“Our then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nqosa Mahao, gave it his all,” recalled Ms Koatsa. “He even ensured each student’s room was equipped with microwaves and the most stable Wi-Fi.”

While this success improved AERC’s perception of NUL, challenges remained.

Then, in 2020, COVID-19 hit—a difficult time, but also an opportunity.

Since NUL was not among the privileged universities that automatically had their Master’s students included in the AERC program and subsequent competition, the department formally requested to join.

At first, AERC was hesitant. However, NUL reasoned that since the program had moved online due to COVID-19, including NUL would not require extra logistical efforts. Eventually, AERC agreed—but not before imposing lengenderily strict academic requirements.

“We met them,” Ms Koatsa said.

– In 2021, NUL Master’s students officially joined the program and the competition, finishing in 5th place.
– In 2022, they climbed to 4th place.
– In 2023, they reached 3rd place.
– In 2024, they finished 2nd.
– And now, in 2025, they are No. 1!

No other university in the competition has demonstrated this level of consistent growth!

NUL students have a track record of excelling internationally, and this achievement is no exception. But is it just luck?

“Not in our case,” all three lecturers agreed.

“Excellence is becoming a core value at NUL,” they added.

The Department itself is on the verge of accumulating 8 PhD lecturers. It now has 3 Professors. It is widely known within the Univesity for its strict biweekly Research Seminars! “Our course outlines are benchmarked against the best universities such as UCT,” they said.

That’s not all!

Before starting their Master’s program, students go through an intensive month-long bootcamp to reinforce their fundamentals. It’s a rigorous training process, described by the lecturers as “our own version of PESP” (for those familiar with the term).

Additionally, students are strongly encouraged to collaborate. “The sense of community and solidarity among them is amazing,” they said.

And from day one, they are given a clear goal: “Beat the previous record.”

With Makerere traditionally at the top, last year’s marching order was: “Dethrone Makerere!” When NUL finished 2nd, the celebration was short-lived—Makerere had been pushed to 3rd place, but another university shot to the top spot.

This year’s marching orders couldn’t be more specific, “Don’t just beat Makerere—beat them all!”

They did.
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