Travel ban risks US relations with Africa

The United States' renewed travel restrictions on many African countries could have far-reaching consequences beyond diplomatic tension, economic experts warn, posing a risk to the region's development by disrupting remittances, trade flows and diaspora-led investment.

While the measures are officially justified on security grounds, economists say they may inadvertently undermine economic ties between Africa and the US, one of the continent's key trading partners.

"The ban doesn't just close borders — it cuts off opportunity," said Socrates Majune, an economist at the University of Nairobi in Kenya.