Ghana has been selected as one of only 20 visa processing hubs in Africa under a major restructuring of US consular services across the continent.

According to reports by international media Associated Press on June 1, 2026, the administration of US President Donald Trump plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa handling visa applications from about 50 to 20.

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The report stated that the move forms part of a new directive approved by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which will concentrate full visa processing services in selected locations across Africa.

Under the new arrangement, nationals of countries that are not designated as visa processing hubs will have to travel to one of the approved centres to submit visa applications and attend interviews.

The change is expected to increase travel costs and logistical challenges for many applicants.

While embassies and consulates in non-hub countries will remain operational, their services will be limited.

They will continue to provide assistance to American citizens, including passport renewals, emergency consular services, diplomatic visas and selected cases considered to be in the US national interest.

Accra joins 19 other cities across the continent that will continue to offer full visa processing services.

The approved locations are Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Dakar in Senegal, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Djibouti City in Djibouti, Kampala in Uganda, Kigali in Rwanda, Kinshasa in Congo, Lagos in Nigeria, Lomé in Togo, Luanda in Angola, Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, Monrovia in Liberia, Nairobi in Kenya, Port Louis in Mauritius, Praia in Cape Verde and Yaoundé in Cameroon.

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The reported changes come as the Trump administration continues to pursue stricter immigration policies, a key feature of the president’s political agenda over the years.

MAG/VPO