Top 10 Best Private Schools for Medicine and Surgery in Nigeria and Ghana

Medicine is a very competitive course in Nigeria as it is anywhere else in the world. For one thing, medicine is a professional course; graduates of medicine and surgery are some of the highest-paid professionals in the

Outside Nigeria, some governments place a very high premium on the medical profession. Little wonder medical doctors from Nigeria relocate to the US, UK, and other developed countries in the world in their thousands every year and lots more are looking for opportunities to practice medicine abroad. About 70% of Medical doctors among blacks in the US are from Nigeria. Isn't that jaw-dropping?

Unfortunately, there aren't enough medical doctors in Nigeria owing to the lack of a proper welfare package and other problems of leadership in Nigeria.

The good thing is that there are opportunities for medicine and surgery graduates or medical doctors everywhere in the world so studying medicine is worth all the sacrifices and effort you might put into it now.

Also Read: Top Best Private Universities in Nigeria

As an admission seeker looking to study medicine in Nigeria, if you can afford it, private universities are a good option to study medicine in Nigeria. At least you can be sure not to spend any extra years due to ASUU strike.

In recent times, some of our private universities have developed very standard medical faculties and colleges of medicine with teaching hospitals that are almost at par with some of the public universities. Coupled with the ideal learning environment and other advantages, it is good to consider studying medicine in some of the best private schools in Nigeria.

Below is a list of the best universities for medicine in Nigeria. Please note that the list is in no particular order.

Before we go to our list proper, there is some vital information anyone who wants to study medicine should know.

Which private university offers medicine in Nigeria?

There are close to 100 private universities in Nigeria. Out of this number, only about seven private universities have accredited schools of medicine. The rest only offer other courses in sciences and humanities. We will look at the universities offering medicine in Nigeria and a few other close African countries.

What is the name of the best private university in Nigeria?

According to Webometrics the world ranking body, Covenant University is not only the best private university in Nigeria but the second-best university in Nigeria according to the latest ranking. However, Covenant university does not offer Medicine yet. There are other private universities in Nigeria offering medicine as we will see below.

How much does it cost to study medicine in Nigeria?

The fees for medicine and surgery vary from one private university in Nigeria to the other. While some pay N1,000,000 per annually, others pay as much as N3,500,000 or more. But on average, private universities in Nigeria costs about N2.5m. It depends on the university of your choice.

Top 10 Best Private Schools for Medicine and Surgery in Nigeria

Afe Babalola University College of Medicine

Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), a Federal Government-licensed, Non-Profit Private University is a model which is unique in many ways.

It is located on 130 hectares of land at an altitude of over 1500 feet above sea level which ipso facto provides a cool and ideal climate for learning and sports activities. It is the only university in Nigeria, before the issuance of a provisional license by the Federal Government of Nigeria, moved to its permanent site and constructed magnificent College buildings and College Hostels, Staff Quarters and equipped with modern teaching facilities including E-learning platform and electronic boards within eight months.

The school has an approved college of medicine and health sciences that is one of the best in the country.

Babcock University

Babcock University - BU - as it is now known—actually began on September 17, 1959, as Adventist College of West Africa (ACWA). Established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a senior college for training church workers from the West African sub-region, ACWA opened its doors with only seven ministerial students.

Bowen University

Bowen University Bowen is one of the oldest private institution of higher education in Nigeria, established in 2001 by the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC). The major foundation of what has become Bowen University today was laid in 1854. That year, the family of the late Rev.

Thomas Jefferson Bowen started a school in Ijaiye Orile in the present Oyo State of Nigeria. In 2009, the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved the University to offer degree programmes in Medicine (MBBS), Anatomy (B.Sc) and Physiology (B.Sc). In June 2011, NUC also approved the University to establish the Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Law. The Facul

ty of Humanities began immediately in 2012 while the Council of Legal Education sent its Panel of Facility Visitation in August 2012 and gave approval in December the same year. These programmes have commenced in earnest.

Igbinedion University, Okada

The University commenced its academic programmes in the 1999/2000 session in five Colleges namely, Arts and Social Sciences, Business and Management Studies, Health Sciences, Law and Natural and Applied Sciences. The foundation students arrived Okada on Friday, 15th October 1999.

The College of Health Sciences continued to be an area of popular demand. The College of Pharmacy and B.Sc Nursing commenced in the 2004/2005 session. The Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital administered by a Management Board inaugurated first on 12th January 2003, oversees the affairs of the Hospital.

Bingham University, Abuja

Bingham University located in Karu, 25 kilometres from the Federal Capital city of Nigeria Abuja, was established in 2005 by the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) as a Conventional University. It is one of the six private universities in the north and the only one established by a Christian organisation.

The university has a fast-growing faculty of medical sciences.

Madonna University, Okija

The Faculty of Medicine of Madonna was established in October 2001 with three departments; Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry and Physiology, two years after the University was given a certificate of registration as a private University in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Faculty was set up to train undergraduate medical students in pre-clinical, and prepare them for their future training in clinical medicine. Madonna University, Nigeria is the first Private Catholic University in the West African Region and also the First Private University to be approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Madonna University Nigeria commenced full Academic Programmes in 1999.

Gregory University, Uturu 

Using a well-articulated curriculum that enables the conduct of 18 weeks of concentrated academic work per semester, the school can empower scholars with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities that make them stand out in the global world of work. To achieve this mandate, they continue to deploy sophisticated teaching aids, modern state-of-the-art studios, fully equipped laboratories, stacked libraries and ICT solutions.

One of their faculties is the school of medicine and health sciences. Outside of Nigeria, in Ghana, many leading universities can compete with some best universities in the world. Here are three top universities in Ghana you may consider to study medicine.

University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences

The University of Cape Coast recently got its permit to start training medical students in Ghana. As a relatively new school of medicine in Ghana, you can be sure to find a well-stocked laboratory in its medical schools as well as eager lecturers willing to walk students down the corridor of learning.

The university of cape coast school of medical science began in 2007 and has the potential of admitting 50 students per session. This slot is both open to Ghanaian students as well as international students. The low number of students per session helps lecturers give more attention to students and as such, you can be guaranteed of getting all your questions answered in this medical school.

The University of Allied Health Sciences in Ho, Volta Region The University of Allied Health Sciences is one of the youngest medical schools in Ghana and as such promises much to medical students.

The school recently began in 2012 with a limit of 154 students. As a new institution, you can expect all medical equipment to be in shape and still fully functional. Most students describe the staff as ‘friendly and always eager to help’. The University of Allied Health Sciences aims to improve the healthcare system in Ghana by training medical students in the field of medicine. It hopes to churn out some of the best medical doctors in the country in the nearest future.

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology School of Medical Sciences, Kumasi

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology School of Medical Sciences is located in the garden city – Kumasi, one of Ghana’s largest cities.

This university is often regarded as one of the biggest universities in Ghana and as such many expected much from it in every aspect. The school started very early, almost 15 years after Ghana's independence but its medical school was open five years later it started operating.

The medical school is fully funded by the Ghanaian government and as such, you can expect to find some of the latest medical laboratory equipment in this medical school.