Sub-Sahara African countries will lose about $200bn in incomes by the end of 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The development is as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is pulling the global economy towards recession. IMF had already, in its latest Regional Economic Outlook, projected that the economies of Sub-Saharan African countries would contract by 1.6 …

Africa 2.0 members share a collection of short opinion pieces about the impact of the global pandemic on African and Afro-descendant communities and offer views on what this may mean for the future. ACCRA, Ghana, May 12th, 2020, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The future can be shaped by our collective imagination, so we must share our vision. That is one …

If life were a battlefield, Emeka Okoronkwo, killed when he went to the rescue of two molested women could be said to have died a valiant soldier with a bullet in the chest and a gun in his hand. But to Okoronkwo, life was about living in peace and harmony. Okoronkwo, then 21, sought to protect two Frankfurt women who …

Hamburg-based retiree (73) talks about his 36-year sojourn in Germany and the important lessons immigrants can learn from society. I came to Germany in January 1984 to seek political asylum. Before coming to this country, I knew Germany was one of the democratic Western countries, highly industrialised and noted for its cars – Mercedes Benz, VW, etc. and  machines. It …

The African Network of Germany (TANG) held its corona crisis video conference for the seventh time on Thursday. Attended by the regional representatives of the organisation from all parts of Germany, the event also launched the second phase of TANG’s ongoing awareness and sensitisation campaign about the COVID-19 disease. The first phase of the campaign tagged Coronavirus TANG #Telefonaktion, which …

The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has revealed the capacity of Africa to do things for itself. That was the view expressed on Thursday by Gherrabi Mohammed, a Moroccan journalist, at an international video conference organised by The African Network of Germany (TANG) on the global health crisis. “We should thank God that the pandemic has so far spared …

"It is vital that individuals across Africa take responsibility to protect themselves, their families and their communities, by following the recommended prevention measures."

Chancellor Angela Merkel conferred with the premiers of the federal states on Wednesday (May 6) in a virtual meeting and they jointly decided to further relax the anti-coronavirus containment measures in force in the country. However, the individual federal states (Länder) are responsible for implementing agreed measures in accordance with their local situations. The federal and state governments agreed on …

Our world right now is not as normal as we are used to. Words like self-isolation, quarantine and social distancing are now in our everyday vocabulary. Sporting activities have not been left out. Major sporting events that garner the world’s attention have either been cancelled or postponed. The 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics which were supposed to hold this year …

Since 2015, DW – the German public international broadcaster – has presented the Freedom of Speech Award annually to a person or initiative that has shown outstanding commitment to human rights and freedom of expression in the media. In 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, DW has decided to honour 17 journalists from 14 countries. They represent all …

Funmilola Ajala looks at the challenges of containing the coronavirus pandemic in her home country, presenting the stark choices before Nigerian leaders as well as the potential dangers ahead as Africa’s most populous nation relaxes its lockdown measures after several weeks. In French art, there is a popular saying which goes thus: on s’engage, et puis on voit, meaning ‘engage first, then …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament, in this opinion piece comments on the Nigerian-born clergyman, Father Dr Patrick Asomugha, who was forced to resign from his position in the Catholic parish of Queidersbach, a small town in Germany, last month. —- After months of hostilities, Nigerian-born Pastor Father Dr Patrick Asomugha was forced to resign from his position …

Legendary Nigerian drummer and co-founder of Afrobeat, Tony Oladipo Allen, died suddenly at the age of 79 in Paris on Thursday. The musician had suffered a sudden heart attack and was taken to hospital where he gave up the ghost, his manager, Eric Trosset, announced. Allen was a founding member of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s very first band and he’s credited by …

Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek wants to help students with emergency loans through the corona crisis. Two thirds of students work alongside their studies; for foreign students it is about three quarters. Many of them have lost their jobs as a result of the current corona pandemic. This presents many with financial constraints. From 8 May, students can apply for …

An umbrella organisation of Africans in Germany has called on government not to neglect racism even as it’s making strenuous efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. The group made the call in a press statement, titled COVID-19: Alltagsrassismus kennt kein Ausübungsverbot! (Everyday racism doesn’t recognise official ban), issued on Thursday in Berlin. “The High …

In order to contain the consequences of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, new measures are adopted almost daily in Germany. But in addition to these short-term new regulations, there are also other laws that will take effect in Germany from May 2020. The African Courier summarises the most important changes here. —— Kurzarbeit: Regulations for additional earnings by short-time …

After a temporary closure of hair salons, part of measures ordered by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus, hairdressing salons and barber shops may reopen from Monday, 4 May, but only under certain conditions.  Finally, after several weeks you can have your hair cut, styled or dressed again. However, a set of new rules, designed to protect …

The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen was founded in 1954 and is not only one of the oldest short film festivals in the world but also one of the major international platforms for the short form. Every year in spring the festival takes place in Oberhausen with this year marking the 66th anniversary. The Corona pandemic has however put a …

Ghana’s founding president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, died on 27 April 1972. To mark the 48th anniversary of his death, our senior contributing editor and author, Jojo Cobbinah, writes from Accra on a brilliant African intellectual and committed leader who did not spend his time marrying countless women, building mansions or stashing millions in foreign banks. Jojo (72), who witnessed Nkrumah’s …

100 African intellectuals have signed an open letter to leaders on the continent, urging them to look critically at the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to use the lessons from the crisis to spur “radical change”.  The letter, signed by academics, writers and activists from across the continent and the diaspora (*see list at the footnotes), makes …