Perinatal asphyxia is one of the leading causes of newborn morbidity and mortality all over the world. It is frequently complicated by acute kidney injury (AKI) which portends a poorer prognosis to the affected patients, increasing the morbidity and mortality risk of the asphyxiated neonates. The gold standard for the diagnosis of AKI is with the use of serum creatinine, however, this is fraught with limitations especially in the newborn, making it a less accurate tool in estimating the true magnitude of the disease. Recent researchers have identified newer renal biomarkers such as neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), which is an early and more sensitive marker of AKI than serum creatinine. Hence, it may be a better tool in determining the true magnitude of AKI among asphyxiated neonates which is currently lacking in literature. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the levels of urinary NGAL in asphyxiated neonates and healthy controls, to derive a cut-off value of urinary NGAL for the diagnosis of AKI, to determine the prevalence of AKI in asphyxiated neonates using urinary NGAL and to compare it with the prevalence of AKI obtained using the nRIFLE criteria, to compare the levels of urinary NGAL in asphyxiated neonates with AKI and those without AKI (based on the neonatal RIFLE) and to determine if there is an association between the levels of urinary NGAL and the severity of AKI derived from the neonatal RIFLE classification. Thus, this descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between October 2017 and June 2018 in the newborn unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Ninety – four asphyxiated neonates and controls within the first 24 hours of life were recruited for the study. The asphyxiated neonates were catheterized while urine adhesive bags were attached to the perineum of the controls for the purpose of urine collection. Urinary NGAL levels were determined using the human NGAL ELISA kit (Bioporto diagnostics). Serum creatinine was determined on the first and fourth days of life, using the kinetic method described by Jaffe. A calibrated cup was used to determine the urine output of the asphyxiated neonates after emptying the urine bag connected to the urethral catheters.