When Trump slams the door, Africa opens new windows

By Vicki Otaruyina | Jun. 27, 2025

Donald Trump

DONALD Trump’s recent immigration crackdown — a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign — has indeed closed many physical doors to the United States for Africans.

In June 2025 the White House signalled it will expand a “travel ban” to 36 new countries — 26 of them African — under a national-security screening regime. In practical terms, this means three-quarters of Africa (36 of 54 nations) could soon face new visa restrictions or outright bans.

Trump’s team gave those governments 60 days to satisfy US vetting requirements — otherwise American consulates would stop issuing visas to their citizens. Already, 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East have been targeted with bans or strict limits this year, as reported by Al Jazeera.

This surge in restrictions has drawn alarm: as AP noted, the Trump administration has warned “36 countries, most of them in Africa,” to improve documentation or lose their access to the United States.To many African youths and professionals, this feels like a blow. For decades, the US represented a beacon of opportunity – top universities, tech careers, and startups welcomed diaspora talent.

A Trump second term now threatens that path. On the campaign trail, Trump made clear he would revive and enlarge his first-term “travel bans” on Muslim-majority and other countries, vowing a crackdown “bigger than before” according to the Washington Post.

He even promised mass deportations and new border walls. In Congress and media, his team speaks bluntly of curbing all “bad actors,” using tools from emergency declarations to AI surveillance.

The message is stark: fewer immigrants, tighter visas, more vetting. For Africans already waiting on student and work permits, the policy shift is discouraging. Some affected governments have publicly condemned these moves and vowed retaliation, but the reality is that many dreamed-up “American dreams” are now harder to reach by plane or visa appointment.

Yet the new reality can also be a wake-up call. When one door — the airplane hatch — closes, another opportunity is emerging on the internet. Africa’s future need not be defined by visas; it can be forged in laptops, smartphones and local innovations.

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Demographically, Africa’s strength is: by 2050 one-quarter of the world’s people — and over a third of the world’s young people — will live in Africa according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The continent’s workforce is booming even as many Western economies shrink, creating a potential “talent hotspot” as global companies hunt for skilled workers. In fact, the WEF also reports that Sub-Saharan African employers are optimistic about talent supply, seeing fast population growth as a labor-force dividend.

Crucially, the WEF notes that remote work means some of Africa’s brightest will no longer have to emigrate to claim global careers. As one African youth employment expert observes, “there is a significant opportunity for African youth to seize the increasing global demand for a digitally skilled workforce” — from IT to customer service — without leaving home.

Concrete examples are already materialising. Remote-work platforms such as Upwork, Freelancer and homegrown portals (e.g. BreedJ) have enabled thousands of Africans to sell their services internationally.

Software developers in Lagos or Accra now contract with Silicon Valley firms; graphic designers in Nairobi handle global branding projects; legal or marketing consultants in Ghana advise US startups — all from remote desks.

BreedJ reports that expanding internet and mobile access have dramatically grown Africa’s remote workforce, especially in tech and gig work.

In Nigeria’s case, a surge in offshoring has fueled a new business-process-outsourcing sector: one WEF analysis notes that Nigeria’s young population is supporting rapid growth in cybersecurity, networking and AI roles.

Similarly, major African startups are proving that you can serve the world from home: payment firms such as Flutterwave and outsourcing outfits such as Andela (training African coders for global clients) are billion-dollar companies in Lagos and Kampala. Health-tech pioneers such as Rwanda’s Zipline (medical delivery drones) or Kenya’s M-KOPA (mobile-financed solar power) are not just solving local problems — they are writing success stories of Africa, not Silicon Valley. In short, Africans don’t have to physically move to make a big impact.

Indeed, global reports underscore this shift. According to BreedJ (a remote-work marketplace), 64% of Sub-Saharan African businesses already see digital transformation as a key driver of growth. The region’s gig economy has surged: Africa’s freelance workforce grew by over 50% since 2020, as youths use online platforms to land short- and long-term contracts worldwide.

Governments and NGOs are taking note: programmes in Kenya and Nigeria are training young people in AI, data, and other in-demand skills, mindful that problem-solving and creativity must complement technical chops.

Even on the infrastructure side, African nations are investing — for instance, new data centers and cloud networks are being built in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and beyond to host AI and digital services locally.

Experts from the United Nation University stress that this “digital detour” – keeping data and tools close to home – will not only create jobs (in IT, engineering, construction) but also give African entrepreneurs the agility to innovate for local challenges.

At the individual level, the prescription is clear: find your niche and monetise your purpose online. Instead of hoping for a green card, young Africans can ask “What unique value can I offer the world digitally?”

Platforms enable thousands of micro-ventures: a Ghanaian artist can sell prints and design services worldwide; a Nigerian agripreneur can export specialty cocoa via e-commerce; a South African engineer can consult for international tech firms via Zoom.

As a global purpose coach, I always emphasise: discover your strengths, align them with global needs, and build a purpose-driven business that pays you for doing what you love. The playing field is levelling. A trader in Ghana can price goods for Amazon; a Kenyan programmer can tutor students via online courses; an Ethiopian educator can attract clients through social media – all without boarding a flight.

This is by no means a fantasy. Diaspora Africans themselves are leading the way home. Increasingly, skilled professionals abroad are investing and co-founding startups in Africa.

For example, 54gene – a genomics firm targeting African health markets – was co-founded by Nigerian-American Abasi Ene-Obong Networks such as the Diaspora Angel Network channel African expatriates’ capital and expertise back into local ventures.

In turn, local governments and investors are easing cross-border collaborations and startup support, recognising that Africa’s future lies in “pioneering African solutions, driven by African creativity” rather than exporting talent.

In the end, Trump’s new bans may be a rude awakening, but they also point Africa toward an inevitable truth: Tomorrow’s opportunities are digital, not solely geographic. The power to influence global markets and ideas no longer requires relocation.

As one recent analysis put it, African entrepreneurs today are “building practical, culturally grounded solutions” that reshape their societies – and the world is taking notice.

For every talented African that Washington bars, another is reaching around the world from Nairobi or Lagos through a laptop. The enforced pivot at home could turn out to be the continent’s gain.

As the elevation coach, I champion, aligning your purpose with a market – and leveraging online tools – can lead to success beyond borders. Africa’s youth, professionals and digital creatives are resilient.

Faced with closed doors, they will simply open new windows – into AI-powered innovation, e-commerce, remote consulting and content creation – and continue making their mark on the global stage.