Four researchers from the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) have earned international recognition in the 2026 Stanford University–Elsevier ranking of the world’s top 2% of scientists, underscoring the global reach of Ghanaian research in economics and business.
The researchers are Professor Joshua Yindenaba Abor, Dr Emmanuel Joel Aikins Abakah, Professor Godfred Alufar Bokpin and Professor Robert Ebo Hinson, who were recognised for the citation impact of their academic work.
The ranking, released on October 7, draws on Scopus data through the 2025 citation year and evaluates researchers across 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields.
Professor Abor recorded the strongest global position among the four in the single-year impact ranking, placing 24,350th worldwide and 119th in his subfield out of 16,367 researchers.
He recorded a composite citation score of 3.19, with 216 documents and 714 citations.
Dr Abakah ranked 65,025th globally, with 101 documents and 1,259 citations, placing him 266th in his subfield.
Professor Bokpin was ranked 74,673rd worldwide, with 68 documents and 359 citations, while Professor Hinson achieved a subfield ranking of 485th out of 15,920 researchers.
The recognition highlights the international visibility of research undertaken at UGBS and the contributions of its faculty to scholarship in economics, finance, business and related disciplines.
Citation impact shapes global recognition
The Stanford University–Elsevier ranking uses a composite citation indicator that incorporates several measures of research influence, including total citations, the h-index, co-authorship and authorship position.
It distinguishes between career-long impact and single-year impact, with the latter assessing the citation influence of researchers’ work during the latest evaluation period.
The inclusion of the four UGBS researchers reflects the international reach of their academic publications and their contributions to knowledge in their respective fields.
The recognition also comes at a time when universities increasingly rely on international research assessments to demonstrate the influence of their scholarship and strengthen their global academic profiles.
For the University of Ghana Business School, the four placements offer further visibility for research produced in Ghana and demonstrate the contribution of its academics to international discussions on business and economic development.
