U.S. names 19 African countries to retain visa-processing services under embassy overhaul

The United States has identified 19 African countries that will serve as regional visa-processing hubs under a proposed overhaul of its consular operations on the continent, a move that could significantly reshape how millions of Africans access U.S. visas.

• The U.S. plans to reduce its African visa-processing sites from 50 to 20 regional hubs across 19 countries.
• Major cities like Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, and Accra will become key centers for U.S. visa processing.
• Applicants from countries losing local visa services will need to travel to these hubs for consular appointments.
• Supporters say the move improves efficiency and saves costs, while critics warn of longer waits and higher travel expenses.

According to an internal State Department memo cited by the Associated Press, Washington plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa handling visa applications from 50 to just 20 processing locations.

The selected hubs are located in: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town, Johannesburg, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti, Djibouti; Kampala, Uganda; Kigali, Rwanda; Kinshasa, Congo.

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Others include Lagos, Nigeria; Lome, Togo; Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia, Liberia; Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaounde, Cameroon.

South Africa hosts two of the designated centers, in Cape Town and Johannesburg, bringing the total number of processing hubs to 20.

The restructuring would leave major regional powers such as Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana playing an even greater role in facilitating travel between Africa and the United States.

Regional hubs emerge as winners

The new arrangement would effectively transform the selected countries into regional gateways for U.S. visa applicants.

Citizens from neighboring countries that lose visa-processing services may be required to travel to these hubs for interviews, biometric appointments and other consular procedures.

For example, applicants from countries such as Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique could be redirected to South Africa, while travelers from parts of West Africa may increasingly rely on hubs in Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire or Nigeria.

The proposal is part of a broader restructuring of U.S. diplomatic and immigration operations under President Donald Trump's administration, which has prioritized stricter immigration controls and greater efficiency in consular services.

While supporters may view the consolidation as a cost-saving measure, critics warn that concentrating visa processing in fewer locations could create longer wait times and increase travel expenses for applicants from countries without designated hubs.

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The changes could be particularly challenging for students, entrepreneurs and business travelers who often operate under tight deadlines and may need to make additional cross-border trips before reaching the United States.

If implemented, the overhaul would represent one of the most significant changes to U.S. visa operations in Africa in recent years, creating a new map of regional visa hubs while potentially reducing direct access to American consular services across much of the continent.