Benghazi’s international airport (Benina) has officially reopened for commercial flights amid a heavy security presence after a three-year closure. The airport had been closed due to fighting in the city in the summer of 2014. According to Reuters, the first outward bound flights from Benina Airport on Saturday were to the capital, Tripoli, to Amman, Jordan, and to the south-eastern …

Two German female tourists have been stabbed to death while four other foreigners were wounded in an attack at a hotel in the popular Red Sea resort of Hurghada. The terror attack on Friday (14 July) came hours after a shooting near the famous pyramids outside Cairo killed five policemen. The motive behind the stabbing was unclear and Egypt’s Interior …

A member of the Parliament of Ghana, Ras Mubarak, has described the launch of the country’s first satellite into space on 7 July as a challenge to change things in the country. In a speech he delivered in parliament on Wednesday (12 July), Mubarak complained that the news of the milestone was first carried by the BBC which he described …

Odijie Irabor has achieved his life-long dream by qualifying as a technician in Automotive Mechatronics (Kraftfahrzeugmeachtronik). Odijie was presented his certificate on Wednesday (12 July) in the western German city of Marl after successfully completing a 3-year training course at the SBH Bildungsgesellschaft mbH Gelsenkirchen, during which he acquired skills across automotive-specific mechanics, electronics, communication and advanced control.   Automotive Mechatronics, …

One of the priorities of the German G20 Presidency in 2017 is Africa and the challenges the continent is facing as well as its potential. This potential is also the key focus of the AFRIKA KOMMT! initiative, which 19 leading German companies launched in 2008.  The programme trains future managers and fosters German-African economic relations. Word about the initiative has …

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Muhammad Babandede, has said that plans are underway for the local production of the Nigerian e-passport. Mr Babandede disclosed this on Thursday (13 July) in Abuja when members of the House of Representatives Committee on Interior came on an oversight visit. He said that the NIS was working round the clock with …

UNESCO has added the capital city of Eritrea, Asmara, and two other cultural sites in Angola and South Africa to its prestigious World Heritage List.  The UN cultural organization describes Asmara, located 200m above sea level, as a “Modernist City of Africa”. The capital of Eritrea developed from the 1890’s onwards as a military outpost for the Italian colonial power. …

The Governing Council of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Worldwide (NIDOWW) has assured that the Nigerian Diaspora Day 2017 will take place as scheduled on 25-26 July in Abuja. The body issued a press statement yesterday where it confirmed that it’s taking up the full responsibility for staging the annual event this year following the difficulties encountered by Nigerian National …

Germany-based scholar and author Fekadu Bekele, PhD, offers an original African perspective on the G20 Africa Partnership initiative as he argues that the measures envisaged under the plan do not address the root causes of the social and economic crises in the continent. Dr Bekele posits that the priority of the West and its economic institutions is to keep Africa firmly …

In a remarkable, if coincidental, series of events across Kenya last weekend, nine people were beheaded by suspected al-Shabab militants, the internal security minister suddenly died, the main opposition leader was hospitalised with food poisoning, and the president appeared to accuse the judiciary of trying to delay general elections scheduled to take place in less than a month. The events …

People of African descent are reacting angrily to French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial remarks about Africa during a press conference at the G20 summit in Hamburg on 8 July. Macron was asked by Philippe Kouhoun, an Ivorian journalist for Afrikipresse, how much the world’s leading economies were ready to spend to help Africa under Germany’s “Marshall Plan for Africa” The …

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld Belgium’s ban on the Islamic full-face veil, rejecting a legal challenge by two Muslim women wearing the niqab. The court sitting in Strasbourg, France, ruled on Tuesday (11 July) that the 2011 Belgian law banning clothing that partly or totally covers the face was not discriminatory and did not violate the …

A shocking video of a Black woman falling headfirst down a narrow flight of stairs in Amsterdam is making the rounds on social media. A Dutchman had pushed an Airbnb renter, a Germany-based South African student, down a staircase in Amsterdam during an argument over check-out time on Sunday (9 July). Sibahle Nkumbi was travelling with two other women and …

An African single air transport market will be launched in January 2018, with 40 plus countries expected to be signatories by then. So far, 20 African countries out of 55 have subscribed to the single air market, announced David Kajange, the head of the transport and tourism division at the African Union (AU). Speaking recently at the 29th AU summit, …

Six leading and emerging artists with strong roots in Germany and Nigeria presented to the public ‘Wandelust,’ an exhibition of 40 paintings, drawings, photographs, and mixed media works, in Lagos on Monday (10 July). Chidi Kwubiri, Junkman of Africa, Emeka Udemba, Numero Unoma, Yetunde Ayeni-Babaeko, and Jimmy Nwanne showcased works exploring the ‘why’ behind cross cultural, cross border, mental and …

Germany has prioritized the achievement of “strong, sustainable and balanced global economic growth” and Africa in its G20 presidency. Did it achieve this? Abu-Bakarr Jalloh reports from Hamburg. Traditionally, G20 leaders focus on issues relating to global economic growth, international trade and financial market regulations. The 2017 Hamburg summit was no different. However, Germany attempted to use its presidency to …

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has hailed the team that successfully launched Ghana’s first satellite into space on Friday ( 7 July). “Congratulations to the team from All Nations Uni., Koforidua, for the successful launch of Ghana’s 1st satellite, GhanaSat-1, into orbit,” the elated president twittert. The West African country celebrated the technological feat thanks to the efforts of a …

Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Acting President of Nigeria, in this opinion piece argues that efforts to create sustainable economic growth in Africa are undermined by corruption facilitated by the legal and financial systems of G20 countries. He calls on the world’s most powerful states to move beyond pledges on Africa and he suggests the concrete steps they should take to help …

Germany jumped over Brazil and Argentina to move back to the top of the FIFA rankings released Wednesday (6 July), thanks to the team winning the Confederations Cup last week. The world champions beat Chile 1-0 in the Russian city of St Petersburg, a year to the 2018 World Cup, to ensure a first return to the top of the …

The digitization of Africa benefits European and African companies that aim to invest and create jobs in Africa, was the conclusion of a major conference on the eve of the G20 summit. The German-African Business Day, which took place on Thursday (6 July) in Berlin, brought together leading representatives of banks and businesses, as well as governments and public institutions …