The answer
English-evidence policy is set by each US state board, not by NCSBN. Most boards include a waiver for applicants whose nursing programme was conducted entirely in English at an accredited institution.
Anglophone African schools (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon English-track, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe) generally qualify for that waiver. The school must confirm in writing that instruction and assessment were in English.
Francophone candidates (Cameroon French-track, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, DRC, etc.) generally need IELTS or OET because the medium of instruction was French.
Some boards (California, New York, others) tighten the rule by also requiring a minimum length of clinical practice in English. Always read the specific state's International Applicants page.
If that was confusing, here it is in plain English
If you studied nursing in English, many states won't make you take IELTS. If you studied in French, you usually do.
Browse the 51-state directory; each card calls out the English-evidence policy.
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