The decision of the Federal Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer, to call off an investigation into racial profiling in the police is drawing anger and criticisms not only of migrant associations but also political parties, including the junior governing coalition partner SPD. Following the Black Lives Matter protests in Germany, questions are being raised about racism in the country’s …

Award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is mourning her father who died after a brief illness recently. Taking to Facebook on Saturday (4 July), she lamented that she couldn’t travel to Nigeria from her US base due to the international travel ban as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to stand by her extended family in the period of mourning. Professor …

The Zentralrat der afrikanischen Gemeinde in Deutschland (Central Council of the African Community in Germany or ZAGD) has relaunched its website and introduced a new logo on Tuesday. The move by the organisation, an umbrella body for African associations in Germany, is part of its efforts to increase its visibility in the country. The relaunch ceremony, held by video conference …

The Democratic Republic of Congo marked its 60th independence anniversary on 30 June. Belgium’s King Philipe chose the occasion to apologise for his country’s horrendous atrocities against the Congolese people during its colonial occupation of the vast African country. How genuine is the apology? Femi Awoniyi takes a look at the situation of the troubled African country against the background …

After years of agitation by Black activists and their German supporters, a Berlin underground train station will be renamed. According to the management of the Berlin public transport authorities (BVG), the “U-Bahnhof Mohrenstrasse”, the station on Line U2 of the city’s metro network, will be changed to “U-Bahnhof Glinkastraße”. The decision, announced on Friday, came as Black Lives Matter protests …

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday condemned France for the “inhuman and degrading living conditions” of three asylum-seekers who were “living in the street without any resources”. The Strasbourg-based court ruled that authorities “had failed in their duties” with regard to the three asylum-seekers, finding France responsible for the conditions in which the three men – an …

  Other TV reception modes in Nigeria and Ghana currently include terrestrial, cable and IPTV  A new study has shown that Satellite TV reception increased by 23% in Nigeria and 19% in Ghana in 2019, two years after the last study was conducted.  On 25 June, SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, unveiled the results of its annual …

Flights will resume at Nigerian airports on 8 July, the federal government has announced. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known via his official Twitter handle on Monday. The minister explained that the resumption of commercial operations would begin with the Lagos and Abuja airports on 8 July. Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri and Maiduguri would resume from July …

After 30 years of hurt, Liverpool Football Club are – to use a phrase coined by former Manchester United Manager, Alex Ferguson – “back on their perch”. Last week they were crowned English Premier League champions basically with their legs on the sofa. They were confirmed winners after Chelsea Football pipped Manchester City 2-1 which ensured Liverpool had an unassailable …

Residents of Germany can expect numerous changes again in July 2020. Several of these are related to the ongoing corona crisis, such as the reduction in VAT or the end of tenancy protection or the easing of travel ban on non-essential travel into EU member countries. Pensioners, on the other hand, can look forward to a pension increase. The African …

BOOK REVIEW It is easy, as the western media often do, to dismiss Africa as a continent of misery where nothing new happens except this misery is recycled in new varieties: corruption, hunger, wars, etc. But nobody pauses to take a harder look into the past of this troubled continent and find how its terrible history has played a part …

Nigeria’s cashless policy, initiated six years ago, was designed to encourage electronic transactions with a view to reducing the amount of physical cash in the economy to foster transparency, curb corruption and drive financial inclusion. It’s however now threatened by the growing perpetration of fraud.  Oludayo Tade, researcher in criminology, victimology, electronic frauds and cybercrime, University of Ibadan, presents his …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana’s speech in the European Parliament on 17 June on how Belgian policemen physically harassed her was greeted with a loud ovation and shocked Europe to the reality of police violence against Black people. It became a topic of media discussions across the continent. In a strange twist to the story, instead of the police to apologise to …

Since inception, MainOne has invested in over $400m in infrastructure in West Africa as part of its efforts to bridge the digital divide and enable the digital economy LAGOS, Nigeria, June 29, 2020/ — MainOne (www.MainOne.net), West Africa’s leading provider of Wholesale and Enterprise connectivity and data centre services celebrates 10 years of delivering innovative, world-class service in West Africa. …

Airfares on domestic and international routes are set to rise as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria is to increase the passenger service charges (PSC) on flight tickets by 100 per cent from 1 August 2020, according Punch. The daily newspaper reported that the authority would increase the PSC on domestic flights from the current rate of N1,000 to N2,000 …

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Saturday, 27 June held dry run simulation exercises at the domestic terminals of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, respectively. FAAN has been conducting a dry run of flight operations as domestic airlines prepare to resume commercial flights. The exercise, which was aimed at assessing the readiness …

International students in Germany are also affected by the Corona crisis. Here is an overview of efforts to help them. Johannes Göbel reports How does Germany help international students in the Corona crisis? As from June 2020, international students can apply for an interest-free loan from the state development bank KfW and receive a maximum of 650 euros a month …

Black Lives Matter protests have led to the toppling of colonial and slavery monuments in the US and several European countries. In Germany, an online campaign has been launched calling for the renaming of a popular street in the country’s capital city. Mohrenstrasse, located in the central district of Berlin, is the focus of attention of activists who are questioning …

Rwanda is renowned as a pioneer for gender equality ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 22, 2020/ — In 2020, it was the only African country ranked in the top 10 of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. It ranked in the top four in the Report’s political empowerment category, in recognition of the high proportion of Rwandese women lawmakers …

NJ Ayuk, founder of one of Africa’s most successful law chambers, explains that “climate change — and the call to leave fossil fuels in the ground— is largely a western narrative”, which does not consider the situation of African countries whose oil and gas production earns export revenues, reduce energy poverty, create jobs etc. He explains how Western climate policy …