Nigeria has been ranked the fifth-best English-speaking country in Africa and 29th globally, according to the latest English Proficiency Index.
The ranking was based on tests conducted on 2.2 million adults across 123 countries and regions worldwide, with Nigeria recording a high proficiency score of 568 points.
On the global table, Nigeria placed 29th, finishing behind countries such as the Philippines, Zambia, Argentina, Serbia, Malaysia, Czechia, Hungary, Greece, Kenya, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Latvia, Poland, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Austria, Croatia and the Netherlands.
Within Africa, Nigeria ranked fifth, trailing South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Zambia, which occupied the first to fourth positions respectively.
In January 2022, SaharaReporters reported that an online petition calling for an end to English proficiency test requirements for Nigerians had attracted significant support. The petition, initiated by Policy Shapers on the Change.org platform, garnered at least 26,000 signatures.
Titled “Stop asking Nigerians to write IELTS,” the petition urged foreign institutions to stop demanding the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) from Nigerians whose language of instruction throughout their education was English.
Nigerians applying to study at foreign universities are routinely required to sit for English proficiency examinations as proof of their language competence.
However, the petition, which was addressed to the then UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, argued that no Anglophone African country had been granted exemption, despite many being members of the Commonwealth.
It further noted that the UK Home Office had exempted several countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and 10 others, from the English language test requirement.
