Seven hundred patients admitted to the wards of the Department of Obstetrics/Gynaecology of Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, between January and July 1984 were studied for the incidence of nosocomial infections. The overall hospital infection rate was 17.0%, with wound infection at 47% followed by urinary-tract infection at 15%. Over 80% of the bacterial isolates were Gram-negative bacteria, the majority of which were multiply resistant to the commonly used antibacterial drugs. Some hospital risk factors have been identified. The findings are discussed in the light of reports on nosocomial infections from hospitals of developed countries.