The United States government has announced a new regional framework for handling routine visa applications across Africa, selecting 20 diplomatic posts to serve as central processing hubs.
This initiative restructures how consular services are delivered, concentrating routine visa work within specific embassies and consulates. The designated sites are Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia, and Yaoundé.
While Lagos has been named as a regional hub, Abuja was excluded from the list. Officials noted that South Africa holds two of these hubs, specifically Cape Town and Johannesburg, meaning the 20 locations span 19 different nations.
The State Department emphasized that this realignment does not imply the closure of any diplomatic posts. Embassies and consulates that no longer perform routine visa processing will remain fully operational, continuing to manage their other diplomatic and consular duties.
