LIVING IN GERMANY

His Excellency Thomas Boniface Amolo of Kenya has presented his Letter of Credence to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, marking the beginning of his ambassadorship in Germany. Accompanied by his wife, Mrs Iris Matlhodi Kekana-Amolo, Ambassador Amolo handed over his credentials at a ceremony which took place at the Schloss Bellevue, the seat of the German presidency, on Thursday (11 March). …

Afro German Academic Network (ADAN e.V.) and Zalando enter into long-term partnership to promote careers of Black and People of Color (BPoC) in Germany.New virtual format and first ADAN-Zalando scholarship for BPoC to further increase Zalando’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity and recruit more diverse talentsDigital kick-off event on March 24, 2021 FRANKFURT/BERLIN, MARCH 5, 2021 PRESS STATEMENT – // …

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Premiers of the 16 federal states decided on Wednesday (3 March) to extend the shutdown until 28 March. In the same breadth, a plan for the easing of the restrictions was announced. “The daily reporting figures show that the efforts of the last few months have paid off and lower incidences have been achieved. This …

Like at the beginning of every month, new legal changes enter into effect in March 2021.These affect, for example, energy labels for refrigerators, televisions or washing machines. Also, summer time starts soon and parents urgently need to pay attention to the deadline for applying for Baukindergeld. Moreover, the lockdown regulations will be relaxed. Here’s an overview of the important legal …

Following allegations of violence levelled against the police in Chemnitz by an African family, a civil society organisation has launched a campaign against police brutality. According to the accounts of Mark Kitau and Jackline Nadler, a Kenyan couple, they were brutalised by police officers on the night of 31 January in the eastern German city of Chemnitz. The media has …

How an IOM frontline worker goes beyond return counselling by providing African migrants in Germany with the support they need Berlin – It is a full day for Danielle Al-Qassir at the foreign immigration office in Berlin. “I have clients calling me on my work phone, my private phone and the landline, and we have clients coming in in-person,” she …

Calls for political consequences are loud as Germany commemorates the first anniversary of the racist killings in the western German city of Hanau. On 19 February 2020, a 43-year-old German shot dead nine people with foreign roots in Hanau out of sheer racially-motivated hate — One year ago, on 19 February 2020, a 43-year-old German in Hanau had shot and …

According to the resolution of the Corona Summit, a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the premiers of the 16 federal states on the management of the pandemic, on Wednesday the lockdown measures in force will be extended in principle until 7 March. Among the key other decisions made at the meeting was that individual federal states should decide on …

The federal and state governments have agreed to extend the existing shutdown measures in Germany. On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the premiers of the 16 federal states reached decisions on the further course of the pandemic’s management. Highlights of the resolution of the Corona Summit at a glance: Lockdown extended until 7 March Corona infection numbers are falling, but …

For the second time, Berlin is awarding prizes to entrepreneurs with a migration background operating in the city, which is also a federal state. The prize Vielfalt unternimmt – Berlin würdigt migrantische Unternehmen, first awarded in 2019, gives public recognition to the achievements of minority entrepreneurs who are contributing greatly to the economic development of the city. There are three …

Germany’s governing grand coalition has agreed on further aid to families and businesses because of the corona pandemic. The decision was made by the coalition committee of CDU/CSU and SPD on Wednesday (3 February), after a meeting in the office of the chancellor in Berlin. The meeting, at which the new CDU leader Armin Laschet also took part for the …

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic Nigeria to Germany, His Excellency Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has called on Nigerians seeking consular services to desist from patronising touts. They should rather communicate directly with officials of the embassy, he charged. The envoy issued the advice at a meeting with the representatives of the Nigerian community in his office on Monday (1 February). …

Like at the beginning of every month, new legal changes enter into effect in February 2021. For example, the deadline for tax returns changes and paying for online shopping will become safer. Here’s an overview of the new laws and regulations: —- Submission deadline for tax return extended Some of us are already starting to gather the receipts and information …

At the conference of Germany’s federal and state governments on 19 January, it was decided that it’s compulsory to wear medical or FFP2 masks on public transport (bus, train, tram) and while shopping. Lufthansa has also announced its adoption of the new regulation aboard its flights from 1 February. What are medical and FFP2 masks? Where can I get them? …

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier believes we have overcome the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. Solidarity has grown stronger through the crisis, the president said in his Christmas address to the nation. “‘When can I live my dreams again?’ This sigh of exasperation, my fellow Germans, is one of the thousands of personal messages I received from all parts of our …

Osasere ‘Joy’ Igbineweka, popularly known as Mama Prosper, was laid to rest in a solemn ceremony in Frankfurt on Friday 11 December. She had died in the morning of 26 November in the German city. Despite the unfavourable weather condition and the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, friends and family members turned out in a large number to pay their last respects …

Two thirds of women in women’s shelters (Frauenhäusern) in Germany have a migration background, according to a recent survey. Some of the reasons why women seek protection in such homes, commonly called refuge for battered women, include domestic violence and lack of money to rent their own accommodation. According to the statistics of the Women’s Shelter Coordination (Frauenhauskoordinierung) presented in …

Starting from the decade of Ghana’s independence until today, the book, by Desmond John Beddy, traces the history of Ghanaian presence in Germany excellently – the motivation for migrating to Germany, the categories of those migrating, and how these changed over the decades, and the reasons for the changes..

The last month of 2020 will also see many legal changes. In the Corona pandemic, hardly a week goes by without inhabitants of the country having to adapt to new laws or regulations. The partial lockdown has been extended, Deutsche Bahn will raise its prices and the Hartz 4 standard rates will also rise. There will be changes not only …

From next year, unemployed people and families are to benefit from newly approved social laws by the Bundesrat.  —– The Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house of parliament, approved a series of Social Laws on Friday which will see an increase in benefits for unemployed people and families as from next year. The Bundestag, the lower house, had already passed the laws …