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The passport of a country determines the freedom of travel enjoyed by its citizens. Singapore’s passport has free access to more destinations – namely 192 (out of 227 in the world) – than any other travel document, according to the 2023 Henley Passport Index, which was released on Tuesday. Free access means visa-free entries and unbureaucratic visa issuance on arrival. …

Chancellor Olaf Scholz travelled with a trade delegation to Ethiopia and Kenya from 4 to 6 May 2023. Many important issues, including combating climate change, current conflicts in the continent and economic cooperation, were discussed in his meetings with with political leaders as well as representatives of the business community, civil society and culture. A special report on the Chancellor’s …

A podium discussion on the situation of third-country nationals who fled the war in Ukraine took place recently in the East German city of Halle. There are currently about 38,000 refugees from Ukraine without Ukrainian citizenship in Germany. The objectives of the event, organised by AWO Akademie Mitteldeutschland, were to reflect on the racist experiences of the African refugees, spotlight …

Geneva, 3 April 2023 – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching “Focus Africa” to strengthen aviation’s contribution to Africa’s economic and social development and improve connectivity, safety and reliability for passengers and shippers. This initiative will align private and public stakeholders to deliver measurable progress in six areas. “Africa accounts for 18% of the global population, but just 2.1% …

Producing in Africa is not only lucrative for the investors but also means reducing poverty and dependence on foreign suppliers. Yet Africa is still not seen in Europe as a favourable destination for investors. Dennis Elverir, head of the Africa office of African Investment Consultancy, explains how and where to invest in Africa and the hurdles to to watch out …

Love kept at a distance: German national Linda Wendt is fighting to establish a life in Germany with her husband. But he cannot move here without first passing a language test. A major problem — but not an isolated case. A special report by Andrea Grunau, DW Linda Wendt and Moro Diop* are a couple. But they live their everyday …

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 …

People of African Descent who were victims of fascist violence during the Third Reich should not be forgotten, writes Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana*. The European MP narrates her efforts in the past twenty years to promote an increased awareness of the ‘other’ victims of Nazi barbarism who are often neglected in the mainstream history books and argues why it’s important to …

BonelliErede, a leading international law firm, and Italia Africa Business Week (IABW), a commercial and business forum whose goal is to facilitate sharing economic, commercial and financial knowledge between Africa and Italy, recently held a webinar on the restitution of cultural property to African states. It was the latest in a series of webinars organised by BonelliErede and focused on: …

The citizen’s income (Bürgergeld) will be introduced in Germany in January. The Bundesrat, the upper house of the federal parliament, approved the social reform legislation on 25 November after the lower house, the Bundestag, had earlier passed it. The Bürgergeld, which will replace the basic income support for job-seekers (Hartz IV) that was introduced in 2005, is a basic allowance …

After years of protests led by the Black community and their White German allies, a square and a street in the African Quarter in Berlin-Wedding were renamed on Friday. Both had bore the names of German officials who were in the forefront of Germany’s colonisation of East Africa in the 1880s and 1890s, often employing brutal military force. The former …

The World Health Summit (WHS) took place recently in Berlin, Germany. Held between 16-18 October, 2022, it brought together people from Academia, Business and Government from over 140 countries to outline a road map for improving global health. Our Contributing Editor, Dr Michael Nnaji* attended the event and reports. The Word Health Summit, which has just concluded in Berlin, Germany, …

Early this year, Gosab Group, a provider of nursing care service in Germany owned by Nigerian-born entrepreneur Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi, took over the management of an old people’s home in Pulheim-Stommeln, a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia. Before taking over the nursing home from Caritas, the Gosab Group – comprising Gosab Personalmanagement & Consulting, Gosab Care GmbH and Gosabflex GmbH …

Amid soaring inflation, particularly for food and energy, the gap between rich and poor in Germany is widening. Incremental increases to social safety nets will do little to alleviate the problem, experts warn. A special report by Sabine Kinkartz/DW Although Germany is one of the richest countries in the world, signs of increasing poverty are becoming increasingly visible across the …

Lagos-based Africana Couture with the opening of its new classy outlet in Abidjan has made a significant statement of intent of taking the lead in the propagation of African fashion on a global scale The merry sound of clinking glasses, hearty laughter and afrobeats music permeated the cool September evening at Rue Marconi Zone 4, a posh business district in …

Tomfei Kougnon, a young sociologist who trained in biodynamic agriculture in Switzerland, is appealing for support to realise his dream of an organic farming project in his home country, Togo. Organic farming is an agricultural system that uses fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure and bone meal, and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation …

In a feature on the general elections in Kenya holding on 9 August, our senior contributing editor, Mickie Ojijo, analyses democracy in the east African country and explains why the system is not delivering the expected dividends to the people — As Kenya’s general election, scheduled for 9 August 2022, enters the homestretch, horse trading and amalgamations of political entities …

" I think the film can contribute to people reflecting more on their own biases, on their own racism"

The African Youth Education Awards (AYEA) is an initiative to promote higher educational achievements among youth in African-origin communities in Germany. Every year, young people who have excelled in their educational and training careers are honoured with AYEA at a colourful ceremony in Hamburg. AYEA was initiated in 2010 to act against the observed low educational attainment levels of African-origin …

Ghanaian-born Swiss-based Analytical Psychologist and Psychotherapist Esther Abena Keller calls attention to the increasing psychological and mental health risks of Africans in the Diaspora, who are challenged in specific ways, socially, economically and politically. Dr Keller identifies the specific reasons why diaspora Africans are especially susceptible to mental health challenges and what could be done to address these challenges ——– …