‘The US was our El Dorado’: Africans on Trump’s travel bans and taxes

Already affected by US aid cuts, many Africans now face limits on travel to US and looming remittance tax

When Essi Farida Geraldo, a Lome-based architect, heard about partial restrictions on travel to the US from Togo as part of the travel bans announced by Donald Trump on Thursday, she lamented losing access to what many young Togolese consider to be a land of better opportunities.

The United States was the Togolese's El Dorado," Geraldo said. Many people go to work in the US to save money and support their families or projects in Africa ... This will force the country to really develop stronger partnerships that exclude the US."