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Germany: CDU considers residence permit for rejected asylum-seekers due to labour shortage

In view of the increasing shortage of skilled workers in Germany, the Christian Democrats (CDU) in the state of Lower Saxony can envisage the integration of rejected asylum-seekers into the labour market. It is a matter of “our prosperity and our economy”, the party, which normally has always maintained a hardline position on asylum-seekers, says. The CDU group in Lower …

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Nigeria investigates Lufthansa over alleged passengers’ maltreatment

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has begun investigations into the alleged maltreatment of Nigeria-bound passengers by Lufthansa Airlines The agency said it had received a report of the alleged maltreatment of over 200 passengers on Flight LH566, which took off from Frankfurt and was destined for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos as a direct flight, but was diverted …

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AFRIKA KOMMT! Call for applications!!

AFRIKA KOMMT! – a further training programme for young African executives – brings together the most visionary young leaders from Africa and leading German companies. The programme revolves around an eight-month internship in a German company. During their assignment, participants gain valuable insight into work processes, company structures and management methods. But the programme goes beyond providing individual support. The …

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Call for applications: Google Black Founders Fund for Startups in Africa

Applications have opened for the third cohort of Google’s Black Founders Fund for Startups in Africa and Europe. The company has committed $4m to support eligible Black-founded startups in 2023. Startups operating and headquartered in Africa or having a legal presence on the continent are eligible to apply for the Black Founders Fund. Other eligibility criteria for startups that wish …

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Era of French interference in Africa is over, Emmanuel Macron says

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated Thursday (2 March) that France harboured no desire to return to past policies of interfering in Africa after he began a four-nation tour of the continent. “The age of Francafrique is well over,” Macron said in remarks to the French community in Gabon, referring to France’s post-colonisation strategy of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend its …

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The big tasks before Nigeria’s new president

The long wait for the result of Saturday’s Nigerian presidential election ended in the early hours of Wednesday when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. The three days of waiting seemed like weeks due to the tension that enveloped the country and even the west African subregion, not …

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Guinea’s president welcomes citizens fleeing Tunisia

In a strong show of support for Guineans fleeing Tunisia, President Mamadi Doumbouya was at the airport in Conakry on 1 March to welcome 49 citizens who were repatriated via a special flight. Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power through a coup two years ago, greeted the returnees as they alighted the aircraft. The flight was organised by by …

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Oury Jalloh’s case goes to European Court of Justice

The case of the asylum seeker Oury Jalloh, who burnt to death in controversial circumstances in a police cell in Dessau in 2005, has gone the European Court of Human Rights. Recently, Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court confirmed the closure of the investigation even though experts insist that the official version of the incident is “impossible” and Jalloh’s family accuses the …

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Germany: New laws and regulations in March 2023

March brings some relief for the pockets for millions of consumers in Germany. The energy price brakes come into force and students will now also receive relief payment for their energy costs. Here’s an overview of important changes in March. —— Energy price brakes take effectThe energy price brakes for millions of gas, electricity and district heating consumers will take …

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One million asylum applications in EU

According to the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), around 966,000 asylum applications (including subsequent applications) were submitted in the European Union in 2022. This is around 50 percent more than in the previous year. The figure does not include refugees from Ukraine who received “temporary protection” in the European Union. Most asylum applicants came from Syria (around 132,000), Afghanistan (129,000), …

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Opinion: How to drive German-Ghana relations

German analyst Gerd Eckert* looks at the potential benefits of greater German engagement in Ghana as the West African country marks its 66th independence anniversary — Ghana – a former British colony – gained its independence under the leadership of the first Prime Minister, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who is now respected as a visionary of his time. Today we hear …

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Ndi Igbo Germany sends message to Nigerian voters

Ndi Igbo Germany (NIG), a socio-cultural organization and the umbrella body for all Igbo unions in Germany, has called for peaceful elections in Igboland and Nigeria on 25 February, when citizens of Africa’s most populous nation go to the polls to elect a new president. In the press release, signed by Chief Benjamin Chinaka, Co-ordinator, and Engr. Ikechukwu Eriobu, General …

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Nigerians vote for new president in tight election

Nigerians will vote on Saturday (25 February) for a new president and members of its national assembly. It’s the country’s 7th general election since the restoration of democracy in 1999. The four leading candidates for the top job are Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, who is running on …

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Germany to recruit workers from Ghana

Germany wants to recruit more skilled workers from Ghana. Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (both SPD) presented an initiative to this effect on Tuesday in Accra during their visit to the African country. The Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration in the capital city, which has been supporting Ghanaian deportees and returnees since …

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Hundreds commemorate the victims of the racist attack in Hanau

The victims of the racist terrorist attack three years ago were remembered in Hanau on Sunday. At noon, around 500 representatives from politics, civil society and religious communities gathered at the market square for a memorial service. Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser (SPD), the Chairwoman of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Annette Kurschus, and Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris …

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Germany: Police officers charged over death of African teenager

A 16-year-old Senegalese boy was shot last year in the course of a police operation in Dortmund. Five police officers have now been charged to court over the tragic incident, which sparked protests in the African community. One officer is accused of manslaughter, three of dangerous bodily harm and another of incitement to dangerous bodily harm, as Dortmund senior public …

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Germany: Authorities not allowed to check mobile phone of refugees, rules Court

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is not allowed to analyse the mobile phones of asylum-seekers without a concrete reason. This practice is inadmissible if other available findings and documents are not sufficiently taken into account, the Federal Administrative Court ruled in Leipzig on Thursday. For years, the BAMF, which is the central migration authority in Germany responsible …

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Court: Illegally deported person has no right to be brought back to Germany

Despite an illegal deportation to his home country, a former asylum-seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo is not entitled to be brought back to Germany. This is the decision of the Administrative Court of Düsseldorf, which rejected an urgent application by the man. A repatriation of the asylum-seeker to Germany would not make sense because the man had no …

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