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BACKGROUND: Mortality rates among surgical patients in Africa are double that of surgical patients in high-income countries. Internationally there is a call to improve access to and safety of surgical and perioperative care. Perioperative research needs to be co-ordinated across Africa to positively impact perioperative mortality. METHODS: The aim of this study was to determine the top 10 perioperative research priorities for perioperative nurses in Africa, using a research priority-setting process. A Delphi technique with four rounds was used to establish consensus on the top 10 perioperative research priorities. In the first round, respondents submitted research priorities. Similar research priorities were amalgamated into single priorities where possible. In rounds two, respondents ranked the priorities using a scale from 1 – 10 (where 1 is the first/highest priority and 10 is the last/lowest priority). The top 20 (out of 31) were determined after round two. In round three, respondents ranked their top 10 priorities. The final round was an online discussion to reach consensus on the top 10 perioperative research priorities. RESULTS: A total of 17 perioperative nurses representing 12 African Countries determined the top research priorities were: (1) Strategies to translate and implement perioperative research into clinical practice in Africa, (2) Creating a perioperative research culture and the tools, resources, and funding needed to conduct perioperative nursing research in Africa, (3) Optimising nurse-led postoperative pain management, (4) Survey of operating theatre and critical care resources, (5) Perception of, and adherence to sterile field and aseptic techniques among surgeons in Africa (6) Surgical staff burnout, (7) Broad principles of infection control in the surgical wards, (8) The role of interprofessional communication to promote clinical teamwork when caring for surgical patients, (9) effective implementation of the surgical safety checklist and measures of its impact, and (10) Constituents of quality nursing care. CONCLUSIONS: These research priorities provide the structure for an intermediate-term research agenda for perioperative research in Africa.