Sue Anne Bell and colleagues discuss the challenges facing emergency care in sub-Saharan Africa and the development of a degree programme for emergency nursing

Providing effective emergency nursing is challenging in low- to middle-income countries because of limited resources and an inadequate infrastructure. The role of the emergency nurse is growing throughout sub-Saharan Africa and this will help decrease the burden of acute illness and trauma on both the people and the economies in the area. However, there is a gap in education for emergency nurses in this part of the world which needs to be addressed. This article describes an emergency nursing degree programme in Ghana which was developed in collaboration with a university in the United States and one in Ghana. It also outlines the development and content of the programme and discusses its success and challenges.