The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has launched a scheme under which it will grant mortgage loans to nationals in the diaspora. The bank in a statement issued on Friday (5 October) said the loan targets non-resident Ethiopians and foreign nationals of Ethiopian origin. CBE chief Bacha Gina said the product was part of the bank’s vision to serve and …

The youth empowerment initiative to promote educational achievement in the African community in Germany holds its annual award ceremony at the premises of the IHK in Hamburg on Saturday, 13 October 2018. The annual African Youth Education (AYE) Awards aim to motivate young people of African origin in Germany to seek excellence in school. The scheme was initiated in 2011 …

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. The Nobel Committee received more than 300 nominations for this year’s Peace Prize. The award, worth more than a million dollars, has been given …

According to the latest report of the European statistical agency Eurostat, 16.7 million men and women in the 28 member countries of the EU were unemployed in August 2018. Compared with August 2017, unemployment fell by 1.9 million in the bloc. The lowest unemployment rates in August 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.5 %), Germany and Poland (both …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are the world’s most popular leaders, according to a new study. The survey was conducted among 26,112 respondents in 25 countries from May 20 to August 12 by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, Washington-based think tank. The most trusted international leader was German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who claimed the confidence …

South African schools will teach Swahili alongside other non-African languages such as Mandarin, French and German. Proponents hope it may one day become a lingua franca for the African continent. Thuso Khumalo of Deutsche Welle reports. One of Africa’s most widely recognized languages, Swahili — also known as Kiswahili — will soon be taught in South African classrooms, in a …

A robust manufacturing sector is broadly understood as a fundamental path to economic growth and development. Despite their manufacturing potential and promising trajectories, most African countries have remained relatively dearth of factories, writes Professor Landry Signé. How to unlock the manufacturing and industrialization potential in Africa? The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa …

Anti-racism demonstrators in Hamburg called for safe migration routes and an end to right-wing extremism. The march comes after the eastern German town of Chemnitz experienced several anti-immigrant protests. Thousands of demonstrators attended a parade against racism in the northern German city of Hamburg on Saturday, police said. The “United against Racism” parade, a collaboration between more than 450 organizations …

Germany’s Social Democratic and Green party are haemorrhaging support from people with migratory backgrounds. The main benefactor is Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Union bloc, but the anti-migrant AfD has also seen gains. David Martin reports from Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc has become the most popular party among German citizens with migratory backgrounds, according to a report published on …

Speech delivered by Femi Awoniyi, Co-Director of Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), at the 12th Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2018 at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, on Sunday, 23 September 2018. Too many Nigerians are dying daily in the course of irregularly migrating to Europe. Too many are stranded in Europe, unable to obtain legal residency and obliged to return home. Too …

Marrying across nations and cultures is a growing trend in Germany as new official figures show that the number of bi-national couples in the country has doubled since 1996. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office on Friday (21 September), 1.5 million bi-national couples, where one partner has German and the other a foreign nationality, are currently living together in …

Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court has ruled that Ousman Sonko, a former interior minister of Gambia suspected of human rights abuses, must remain in Swiss detention until January 2019. In a decision published on Monday, the Bellinzona-based court rejected Sonko’s appeal challenging his detention. According to the court, various people have been interviewed as witnesses or informants. Their statements confirmed the …

Despite an economic slowdown, most African countries are reported to have a positive economic outlook. This is according to ICAEW’s (the institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) latest report, In Economic Insight: Africa Q3 2018. The report, commissioned by ICAEW and produced by partner and forecaster Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance. The regions …

Ghana has accepted to host the 5th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) between Wednesday, November 21 and Saturday, November 24 in Accra. It will be hosted in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Committee of AFRIMA. The host country rights acceptance was conducted on Tuesday at a media announcement at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, …

Those expecting Nigeria to float a national carrier before the end of this year have to wait a little longer. The project – Nigeria Air – has been suspended indefinitely. Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika said the decision to put the project on hold was taken on Wednesday at the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. Sirika said …

Members of the Black Community from across Germany and Europe will converge on the city of Nuremberg on Saturday (22 September) for the second edition of ‘Night of the African Living Legend Award & Recognition’. Organised by the African German Information Centre (AGIC) Hamburg, the event’s aim is to shine the spotlight on people of African descent in Germany and …

With his performance, the 33-year-old beat the previous record set by fellow Kenyan runner Dennis Kimetto in 2014. Two hours, one minute and 39 seconds. That’s how long, or little, it took Kenyan superstar runner Eliud Kipchoge to cover the 42.2km of the Berlin Marathon – and smash the world record in the process by a staggering 78 seconds.   …

Rwandan Stories of Change held an international conference at the University of St Andrews on the 6th of July 2018. We brought together scholars from across the Humanities and Social Sciences to explore how Rwanda has changed since the genocide of 1994. Chijioke Kizito Onah, Masters Student of Anglophone Literatures, Cultures and Media, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, recently attended …

The refrain at the Stakeholders’ Roundtable Dialogue on Migration, organised by the Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), last weekend was an appeal to Nigerian youths to acquire vocational skills. Addressing the event, a series of consultation with civil society on issues deriving from irregular migration, Engr. Deremi Elebute called on youths to realize that the nation’s job market had changed …

Germany replaced the United States as the country with the best global image in a survey of 50 countries, according to the 2017 Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index. Simon Anholt, founder of the Index, talks about Germany’s image – and the responsibility that it creates. Germany was ranked number 1 in the most recent Nation Brands Index (NBI). What were the reasons …