The United States is closing its diplomatic office in Douala while routine visa processing for Cameroon remains concentrated in Yaoundé. The decision puts the country’s commercial capital further from the centre of America’s consular operations.
The Trump administration plans to close the U.S. embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon, as it cuts smaller diplomatic posts around the world.
The closure is part of a wider State Department restructuring that also affects missions in Canada, Grenada, Indonesia and Japan. The Associated Press reported that the five closures are expected to save the U.S. government about $4.4 million a year.
For Cameroon, the decision comes after the United States shifted routine visa services across much of Africa to a smaller group of regional hubs. Yaoundé, not Douala, is one of the posts designated to handle those applications.
That distinction matters because Douala is Cameroon’s commercial centre and largest city. Business travellers, students and families dealing with U.S. visa requirements will continue to rely on Yaoundé for routine processing, even as the U.S. reduces its physical footprint in the country.
