The United States government is preparing to significantly reduce the number of its embassies and consulates across Africa that handle visa applications, cutting the figure from more than 50 locations to just 20 designated centres.
The move will result in the suspension of visa-processing services at dozens of American diplomatic missions on the continent, compelling visa applicants to seek appointments and processing services at a smaller number of regional hubs.
According to a report by the Associated Press (AP), the initiative is being implemented under the direction of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department is expected to scale back consular operations at all African missions except for 20 selected locations in the coming weeks.
Nigeria is among the countries affected by the policy. Under the proposed arrangement, visa-processing activities at the US Embassy in Abuja would be discontinued, while visa services would be concentrated at the US Consulate in Lagos.
The State Department said the decision is intended to better allocate resources toward key US policy objectives, AP reported.
The department stated that this “includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests.”
While an official implementation date has not been announced, the policy is expected to take effect this month. US diplomatic missions across Africa reportedly received instructions last week to begin reducing visa-related services as preparations for the transition commence.
The restructuring will centralise visa operations within a limited number of regional hubs. As a result, travellers from countries without designated hub locations will be required to visit one of the approved centres to complete their visa applications.
The 20 locations expected to remain operational as visa-processing hubs are Lagos (Nigeria), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Cape Town (South Africa), Dakar (Senegal), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Djibouti (Djibouti), Johannesburg (South Africa), Kampala (Uganda), and Kigali (Rwanda).
The remaining hubs are Kinshasa (Congo), Lome (Togo), Luanda (Angola), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Monrovia (Liberia), Nairobi (Kenya), Port Louis (Mauritius), Praia (Cape Verde), and Yaounde (Cameroon).
The development represents another step in US President Donald Trump’s broader immigration enforcement agenda. It follows previous measures that included restrictions on several visa categories affecting a number of African countries, including Nigeria, as well as the suspension of green card applications for certain temporary visa holders already residing in the United States.
In addition, the United States has introduced visa bond requirements for some African countries, mandating that applicants provide a bond of up to $15,000 before submitting visa applications.
The latest policy is expected to further tighten travel and immigration pathways for many Africans. Although consular sections in countries that are not designated as hubs will remain open, their services will be limited primarily to passport renewals for US citizens, special national-interest matters, and diplomatic visa applications.
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