By Olugbenga Salami
The United States government has announced it will discontinue routine visa services in Abuja and 24 other US diplomatic posts across Africa effective August 1, 2026.
The US Department of State said the decision is part of a broader restructuring of its overseas operations aimed at enhancing national security and reducing operational costs.
In a statement, the department explained that the move represents a “realignment to regional hubs” designed to ensure more consistent standards in visa screening, vetting, and adjudication.
It added that the policy aligns with President Donald Trump’s administration priority of safeguarding American security and optimising government resources.
“The Department of State is constantly evaluating its overseas operations to advance America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible,” the statement read.
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” it continued, while assuring that consular services for US citizens will remain available at all missions worldwide.
Aside from Abuja, other affected African cities include Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou and Windhoek.
The State Department clarified that US embassies and consulates in the affected locations will remain open and continue to perform other diplomatic and consular responsibilities.
It also stressed that the new policy will not affect visas that have already been issued and are still valid. Similar realignments, it noted, have previously been implemented in parts of Africa and Europe.
Under the new arrangement, routine visa services will continue at designated regional hubs. For Nigerians, processing will move to the US Consulate in Lagos.
Other hubs include Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.
Travellers from affected cities are expected to be redirected to these centres for visa processing from August 1.
