Introduction: Nursing is a unique profession with the fundamental responsibilities of promoting health, preventing illness, restoring health, and alleviating suffering. Advanced Practice Nursing roles are developing globally to provide expert nursing care at an advanced level of practice though these are not without challenges.

In Nigeria, Advanced Practice Nursing is still evolving. For the practice to be effectively and successfully adopted, the many challenges and limitations to nursing practice in the country need to be identified and addressed.

Purpose: This paper seeks to explain the concept of Advanced Practice Nursing, the global practice taking into cognizance the challenges/barriers to the practice and the strategies adopted to overcome these barriers. Also, the challenges to the practice in Nigeria were discussed, and possible ways forward were recommended.

Recommendations: Adoption of stricter measures by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria in regulating the standard of nursing education,  development of a curriculum to guide advanced nurse practitioner training program, creation of a career structure that recognizes the role and relevance of research in policymaking to guide the development of Advanced Practice Nursing, elimination of inter & intra professional rivalry and revival of mentorship in nursing among others are some of the recommendations made in this paper.

 Conclusion: For Advanced Practice Nursing to be successfully adopted and implemented in Nigeria, all concerned should contribute to eliminating the challenges facing nursing practice in Nigeria.