Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has spoken out against the United States’ proposed visa restrictions on West African countries.
He said the planned travel bans would damage trade, reduce diplomatic progress, and affect prosperity across the region.
Ambassador Tuggar made this known at the 54th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at Ministerial Level in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the reported plan to impose visa restrictions on all ECOWAS member states could limit cooperation with the United States in areas where collaboration is urgently needed.
“It would be most unfortunate if it comes to pass, because we are a region of opportunities ready to do deals,” Tuggar said. “We would like to do deals with the US, but visa restrictions are non-tariff barriers to deals.”
ECOWAS Region Ready for Global Partnerships
The Foreign Minister described the planned visa restrictions as diplomatically harmful and an economic misstep. He noted that ECOWAS holds large reserves of critical raw materials and is becoming more important in global supply chains. He specifically mentioned Samarium, a rare earth element found in Monazite deposits in Bauchi State, as one of the region’s valuable resources.
Tuggar explained that West African countries have always engaged in international trade and have the experience and potential to expand global partnerships.
“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,” he said.
He called on the United States to rethink its position and recognise ECOWAS as a willing and capable partner. Tuggar said ECOWAS is open to international business, especially with reliable partners like the US, but would not remain passive while others take action.
“ECOWAS countries and the US have a rare opportunity to create a partnership based on principles of need,” he said. “We are also a strategic alternative to more distant and politically divergent energy producers.”
“We will do deals for our prosperity; the only question is with whom? 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?”
US Policy Move May Affect Several African Countries
The United States is reportedly preparing new travel bans on some African countries, including Nigeria. Other countries said to be affected are Ghana, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Senegal. According to a memo, these nations must meet updated US State Department requirements within 60 days.
The memo listed issues such as unreliable civil documentation, poor cooperation with US immigration authorities, and identity verification problems as key reasons for the proposed restrictions.
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