The Christian Democrats have chosen Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to lead the party into its next phase. After 18 years, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her decision to step down as the leader of the governing CDU in October. She did therefore not seek re-election at the CDU congress in Hamburg on Friday (7 December) but she will remain chancellor until the end …

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of Nigeria held a town hall meeting with his countrymen and women living in Germany on Sunday evening in Berlin, where he assured them of the federal government’s determined efforts to solve the country’s major problems. Prof Osinbajo took questions from a cross-section of Nigerians on burning issues, including inadequate electricity supply, security, deficient infrastructure and unemployment. …

Main features of the Christmas season in Germany are the charming fairs that decorate the country during this time of year. From traditional handicrafts and quirky ornaments to tasty local delicacies and sweet-scented mulled wine (Glühwein), there’s absolutely nothing you can’t find in a German Christmas market. This year Berlin will host the first “Afro-Lux Christmas Market” on 8-9 December. …

A new museum dedicated to the art and culture of people of African descent opened in Dakar Thursday (6 December). It was the realization of a 1966 dream of Senegal’s founding president, Léopold Sédar Senghor to exhibit in one space the richness of Black civilizations and history. Declaring the Museum of Black Civilizations (Musée des civilisations noires) open, Senegal’s President …

Less than three months to Nigeria’s next presidential election, a coalition of opposition parties have adopted a common candidate for what analysts say will be a tough poll. The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has announced its selection of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate,  Atiku Abubakar, as its candidate in the 2019 presidential election. By this decision, the CUPP …

Ethiopian Airlines will be Ghana’s strategic partner as the West African country looks to set up a new national airline. Ghana’s aviation minister Joseph Adda and Ethiopian’s chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam have signed a memorandum of understanding establishing the partnership, with a final agreement to be signed before year’s end. Ghana is not expected to retain more than 10 percent …

Royal Air Maroc will join oneworld (marketed simply as ‘oneworld’), becoming the 14th member of the airline alliance and the first in Africa. Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is set to become part of oneworld alliance in mid-2020, it has been announced by the alliance’s governing board. Oneworld, headquartered in Ney York, is an airline alliance founded on 1 February 1999. …

The first-ever Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit took place in Abuja on 27-29 November. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who delivered the keynote address at the event, and participating ministers outlined opportunities and incentives for Nigerians resident abroad to invest in their homeland. Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, in his address to the conference, asserted that the federal government “strongly seek the …

The Danish government has agreed on a controversial policy to detain rejected asylum-seekers convicted of breaking certain laws on an isolated, uninhabited island. According to a government statement, the new centre will also house refugees who have a “tolerated stay” status, meaning they do not have a residence permit but cannot be deported for reasons, including threats to their life …

Pan-Africanists from all over the world will gather in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, from 8-13 December to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first All-African People’s Conference (AAPC). The event marks the 1958 congress, which also took place in Accra and that brought together freedom fighters from all over Africa, including independent and colonised states, to strategise on …

Hundreds of activists are expected to turn out in Berlin on Saturday, 8 December for a public demonstration for the return to Nigeria of Benin artworks in German museums. British forces raided and destroyed Benin City in today’s Nigeria about 120 years ago. They looted thousands of invaluable works of art from the burnt down royal palace and sold it …

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will pay a working visit to Germany on 9-11 December. He will meet with Nigerians, speak at a business event and hold talks with German leaders during the 3-day visit, which aims to promote Nigeria as a favourable place to invest. Prof Osinbajo will hold a town hall interactive meeting with Nigerians living in Germany on Sunday, …

Vice-President’s Keynote Address at the 1st Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit The first-ever Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit took place in Abuja on 27-29 November. More than 300 Nigerians living outside the country attended the event, which seeks to mobilize the diaspora to invest in Nigeria as part of the present government’s efforts to reposition the national economy. Diaspora investors had the …

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally reacted to reports that he had been cloned. While addressing Nigerians in the Polish city of Krakow on Saturday, the Nigerian leader said some people had wished him dead when he was sick for many months. Responding to a question from a Nigerian resident in the country who wanted to know if he was real …

Surprised by details Germans take for granted, some newcomers are shocked by the country’s supermarket culture. Here’s useful advice from Elizabeth Grenier, a self-declared grocery shopping expert from Canada, who learned the hard way. Know your different types of supermarkets The different categories of grocery stores in Germany can be confusing for newcomers. A few chains are actual supermarkets, while …

Border checks between Schengen countries should be limited to a maximum of one year, instead of the current two-year period, the European Parliament said in a draft law on Thursday (29 November). Worried by member states that have introduced internal border checks within the Schengen area, the European Parliament (MEPs) decided on Thursday on new rules governing the use of …

The UN cultural agency has recognised reggae as an intangible cultural heritage worth protecting for its “contribution to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual”. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognised reggae music as a cultural treasure …

Femi Awoniyi concludes his 3-part report on the annual general meeting of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe, which held in Vienna, Austria, on 8-10 November. The third and final day of the annual general meeting of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE), chaired by Ambassador Vivian Okeke, Nigeria’s envoy to Austria, featured discussions on the challenges before the …

It was a special moment for international environmental protection on Wednesday when the President of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag), Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, presented the German Africa Prize 2018 to conservationists Clovis Razafimalala from Madagascar and Gerald Bigurube from Tanzania. Ecological and economic development must go hand in hand, Schäuble at the ceremony, attended by over 300 guests from the worlds …

The Italian parliament has passed into law a tough anti-migrant and security bill designed to make it easier to deport migrants and restrict residency permits. The controversial bill, which makes it easier to expel migrants and limits residency permits, was passed in the lower house of parliament with 396 in favour to 99 against on Wednesday (28 November). “I’m happy, …