Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, has raised alarm over the United States’ imposition of visa restrictions on all ECOWAS member states. Speaking at the 54th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council in Abuja, Tuggar described the policy as a serious impediment to trade, diplomacy, and regional prosperity.
He cautioned that the restrictions threaten to stifle efforts aimed at deepening US-West Africa relations during a period when the region is primed for enhanced economic cooperation and security collaboration. “It would be most unfortunate if it comes to pass, because we are a region of opportunities ready to do deals,” Tuggar said. “Visa restrictions are non-tariff barriers to deals,” he emphasized.
Highlighting the economic potential of the region, Tuggar pointed to ECOWAS’s rich deposits of critical minerals, including rare earth elements such as Samarium from Bauchi State. “We have been part of the international trading system even before the modern state system,” he remarked, underscoring West Africa’s longstanding role in global commerce.
The minister urged the US to reconsider its stance, noting that West Africa represents a strategic alternative to other energy producers who may have divergent political interests. “ECOWAS countries and the US have a rare opportunity to build a partnership based on mutual needs,” he said. “Who takes up the opportunities in our region by allowing government officials and technocrats, business executives, and entrepreneurs to travel freely back and forth to close the deals?” he questioned.
This development follows reports that President Donald Trump is contemplating a travel ban on Nigeria and several other African countries, citing concerns over inadequate government documentation and fraud. The affected countries have been given 60 days to meet new requirements issued by the US State Department.