The United States has announced that it would discontinue visa services in Abuja and 24 other African diplomatic cities effective August 1, 2026.
A statement by the US Department of State said realignment
to regional hubs was part of efforts aimed at boosting national security,
cutting government waste and ensuring more uniform screening, vetting, and
adjudication standards.
The statement said the administration of President Donald
Trump is putting America and Americans first by realigning overseas operations
to advance US priorities efficiently and effectively.
“The Department of State is constantly evaluating its
overseas operations in order to advance America’s priorities as efficiently and
effectively as possible.
“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.
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the
safety and security of Americans, and the State Department will continue to
provide Americans with appropriate consular services and assistance at
diplomatic posts around the world,” the statement read.
Other African diplomatic posts affected by the routine visa
realignment include Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry,
Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville and Lilongwe.
The rest are Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena,
Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou and Windhoek.
According to the US State Department, the realignment does
not change the operating status of any of the embassies and consulates or the
important work they continue to conduct on behalf of the American people.
The State Department equally clarified that the policy does
not affect any currently valid US visas.
The Department also noted that realigning visa services to
hubs has already been successful with several African nations and in Europe.
However, routine visa services, according to the State
Department, will continue at US embassies and consulates in Lagos, Abidjan,
Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-Es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg,
Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lome, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis,
Praia and Yaoundé.
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