The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has strongly criticised the United States’ proposed visa restrictions on West African countries, warning that such measures could undermine trade, diplomacy, and regional development.
Speaking on Wednesday at the opening of the 54th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial Level in Abuja, Tuggar expressed deep concern over the reported restrictions, which are expected to affect all ECOWAS member states. He cautioned that the policy risks weakening U.S. engagement with a region poised for robust economic and security partnerships.
“It would be most unfortunate if it comes to pass, because we are a region of opportunities ready to do deals,” he said. “We would like to do deals with the U.S., but visa restrictions are non-tariff barriers to deals.”
Tuggar described the proposed restrictions as not only diplomatically counterproductive but also economically detrimental. He emphasized ECOWAS’s strategic value, noting that the region is rich in critical resources vital to global supply chains.
“We possess critical minerals and even rare earths such as Samarium from the Monazite found in my home State of Bauchi,” he said. “We in this part of the world are students of the Art of the Deal and have been part of the international trading system even before the modern state system.”
Calling on Washington to reconsider, the ECOWAS Council Chair reaffirmed the region’s openness to international partnerships but made it clear that ECOWAS would not wait indefinitely for engagement.
“ECOWAS countries and the U.S. have a rare opportunity to create a partnership based on principles of mutual need. We are also a strategic alternative to more distant and politically divergent energy producers,” he added. “We will do deals for our prosperity; the only question is with whom? Who will seize the opportunities in our region by allowing government officials, technocrats, business executives, and entrepreneurs to travel freely to close the deals?”
The United States is reportedly considering imposing a fresh wave of travel bans on several African nations, including Nigeria.
According to a leaked memo, countries such as Benin, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Liberia have been given 60 days to meet revised requirements from the U.S. State Department. The memo cites concerns including unreliable civil documentation, inadequate cooperation with U.S. authorities, and issues related to identity verification.
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