Abuja Out, Lagos In as US Slashes Number of Visa-processing Embassies in Africa from 50 to 20

The US state department has unveiled plans to reduce the number of embassies in Africa that handle visa processing for foreign travellers, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Citing officials and an internal memo, AP reported on Monday that the nearly 50 US embassies and consulates currently processing visa applications across Africa would be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks.

The decision was communicated to US diplomats, including consular chiefs, during a conference call last Friday, AP quoted one of the officials who was on the call as saying.

Marco Rubio, secretary of state, approved the directive last week, according to the officials and the memo.

According to the memo, the 20 hubs to remain open for all processing are: 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; Kigali, Rwanda; Kinshasa, Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; Lome, Togo; Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia, Liberia; Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaounde, Cameroon.

The timing remains unconfirmed, but the changes are expected to take effect in June.

The move comes six months after the Donald Trump administration recalled ambassadors in over two dozen countries, including Nigeria. Africa was the most impacted continent.

The reduction in consular services also comes as the US continues to restrict immigration flows into the country.

A handful of African nationals, including Nigerians, already face possibility of paying bonds of up to $15,000 as a requirement for B1/B2 visas applications.

African countries also make up the largest share of countries currently under US partial travel suspensions.

The US scaling back visa processing services at several of its embassies in Africa could affect applicants across the affected countries as they will have to travel to one of the 20 approved sites, which may pose significant travel challenges and costs.