Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (LBS) has once again strengthened its position among the world’s leading providers of Executive Education. In the newly released 2026 Financial Times (FT) Executive Education Rankings, LBS maintains its status as one of the strongest-performing business schools on the African continent, demonstrating resilience and excellence in a more competitive global field.

This year’s rankings also saw a significant surge in participation, with 100 schools evaluated in the Custom category (up from 95 in 2025) and 95 schools in the Open-enrolment category (up from 85 in 2025).

Despite this heightened global competition, LBS delivered standout performances across the board.

Our 2026 Performance at a Glance

Executive Education Category	2026 Global Rank	African Standing	FT Performance Band
Custom Programmes	43rd	#1 (Highest in Africa)	Tier II (Strong Global Cluster)
Open-Enrolment	58th	#2 in Africa	Tier III (Solid Global Standing)

 

Understanding our Global Positioning

The Financial Times groups business schools into four global performance tiers, offering a clear view of institutional quality. Our placement within these tiers underscores our strong international standing.

• Tier II Positioning (Custom Programmes): Places LBS within a highly competitive, internationally recognised global performance cluster. This tier represents schools delivering strong, impactful, and world-class customised corporate solutions.
• Tier III Positioning (Open-Enrolment): Showcases LBS as an established global player with a solid international standing and growing competitiveness in a rapidly expanding field.

 

Leading the African Continent

LBS continues to champion management education in Africa, standing tall alongside other prestigious institutions on the continent. LBS emerged as the strongest-performing school in Africa for Custom Executive Education – for the second year in a row – and placed second in the Open-enrolment category.

Other African institutions featured in the rankings include the Gordon Institute of Business Science, the American University in Cairo School of Business, and the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, highlighting the continent’s growing presence in global Executive Education.

Commenting on the results, LBS Dean, Professor Olayinka David-West, stated: “These outcomes reflect the collective efforts of our faculty, academic directors, learning and customer experience teams, staff, alumni, partners, and participants. More importantly, they reflect the trust placed in us by leaders and organisations at critical moments in their journeys.”

Pillars of Our Success

Following its debut in the Financial Times rankings in 2007, the School has been featured every year since, demonstrating sustained excellence over time. Our ranking among the global elite is a direct reflection of our continuous investments in academic excellence and operational growth.

The 2026 rankings highlight LBS’s robust performance in several key areas:

• Corporate Partnerships: Reflecting the deep trust global and local organisations place in LBS to co-create impactful leadership solutions.
• Future Application of Learning: Ensuring that knowledge gained at LBS translates directly into immediate organisational value and career progression.
• International Footprint: Expanding our programme delivery across borders to cultivate globally-minded leaders.
• Institutional Visibility: Strengthening our reputation as Africa’s premier business school on the world stage.

Speaking on the School’s sustained performance over nearly two decades, the Dean added: “As we look ahead, we will continue building deliberately on this momentum, deepening our impact as the platform for responsible leadership, executive learning, and business transformation across Africa and globally.”

 Explore Executive Education at LBS

Our strong performance in this year’s rankings, particularly our #1 position in Africa for Custom Executive Education, reflects our commitment to delivering tangible organisational value.

We continue to partner with organisations across the continent to build institutional capacity through:

• Co-Created Solutions: Programmes tailored specifically to your organisation’s strategic objectives and market realities.
• Practical Impact: Action-oriented, Africa-centric insights designed for immediate workplace application and leadership growth.

To discover how Lagos Business School can support your leadership development and organisational goals, we invite you to connect with us:

• 🔗 Explore Executive Education Programmes
• 📩Contact the Executive Education Team