Trump considers travel ban on 43 countries, Nigeria not included

United States President Donald Trump is considering imposing a travel ban on nationals from 43 countries, according to an internal memo cited in a Reuters report.

The memo categorizes the countries into three groups—red, orange, and yellow—based on the severity of restrictions. However, Nigeria, along with other African economic powerhouses like South Africa, Algeria, and Egypt, is not on the list.

The red group consists of 11 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Bhutan, Venezuela, North Korea, Yemen, and Somalia. Nationals from these countries would be barred from entering the U.S.

The orange group includes 10 countries—Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Pakistan, Laos, Turkmenistan, Haiti, and Eritrea—where visa restrictions would be significantly tightened.

The third category, the yellow group, comprises 22 countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, and Zimbabwe. These nations have been given 60 days to address concerns raised by the U.S. government.

The New York Times had initially reported on the proposed travel restrictions, but a U.S. official told Reuters that the list is still under review and subject to changes before final approval.

Among the affected countries are island nations like Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia, which offer citizenship by investment programs. The European Union had previously raised concerns about these schemes, noting that they had issued passports to thousands of individuals from countries with high corruption risks, including Iran, Russia, China, and Nigeria.

The final decision on the proposed ban is expected in the coming weeks.