essential oils (eos) from ochna afzelii leaves, stems and roots were extracted and characterised by hydrodistillation and gas chromatogragphy-mass spectrometry (gc/ms) techniques, respectively. antioxidant activity was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (dpph*) method while antibacterial activity was determined using agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods. leaf, stem, and root oils afforded thirteen, ten and seven compounds, respectively, which were characterized by a high percentage of oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. the major compound in o. afzelii leaf and root eos was & beta;-atlantol, while the o. afzelii stem eo had (e)-& beta;-ionone as its major compound. the leaf oil displayed highest antioxidant activity (ic50 = 238.14 & mu;l/ml). all the eos showed antibacterial activities against escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, salmonella typhi, and streptococcus pneumoniae, with the zones of inhibition and mic values ranging from 12.0-18.0 mm and 2.5-10 & mu;l/ml, respectively. o. afzelii has a mild antioxidant effect, but can be a potential source of natural antibacterial agents.