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Germany and Nigeria have signed an agreement paving way for the return of the more than 1,100 valuable Benin Bronzes in the collections of German museums. These were looted from the Palace of the Oba of Benin some 125 years ago —- It was a historic moment on Friday, 1 July when Germany and Nigeria signed the ‘Joint Declaration on …

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that he wanted to end all restrictions to multiple nationality in the country’s citizenship law. Speaking at an event to mark the tenth anniversary of the scholarship and mentoring programme GEH DEINEN WEG (Go your way) of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration (German Foundation for Integration) in Berlin on Monday, he said 50 per cent of naturalisations …

NAIROBI, Kenya, 21st June 2022 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Graduates of the SAP Young Professionals Program are adding valuable digital skills capacity to African enterprises across the continent. According to Cathy Smith, MD SAP Africa, since the launch of the program in 2012, the support provided by graduates brings critical digital skills to African businesses to help drive greater digitalisation and …

An international conference sponsored by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and the Initiative of Black People in Germany brings together activists and scholars in Berlin By Femi Awoniyi* People of African descent have historically been part of European societies. Indeed, their roots on the continent date back centuries, even if this fact is barely acknowledged in modern history books. “Black Europe: …

Since 1 June, you can travel on public transport and regional trains throughout Germany for nine euros a month. However, the ticket is not valid on all regional trains. And if you use the 9-euro ticket on a means of transport for which the ticket is not valid, you are considered a fare dodger. You will then be fined 60 …

EU countries have generously been welcoming of the refugees from Ukraine since the Russian invasion of the country on 24 February. These are largely spared bureaucratic hurdles as they receive residence permits without individual assessment and have access to the job market, welfare benefits and other social support. In the shadow of the refugee crisis are the so-called third-country nationals …

As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber strongly advocates for German-Africa partnerships, recognizing the role Germany will play in advancing energy security across the continent

Every year, the member states of the European Union celebrate Europe Day. This day commemorates the signing of Robert Schumann’s declaration of 9 May 1950, which is considered the birth certificate of what is now the European Union. Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament, writes on how she commemorated the Day in Germany this year and why the …

A comprehensive Diaspora Housing Mortgage Scheme will soon be inaugurated, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has announced. According to a press release issued by the Commission, Hon (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, NiDCOM, made the pledge when she visited the Management and Staff of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in Abuja recently. The meeting was subsequent to both …

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, more than 4 million Ukrainians and people of other nationalities resident in the country have fled to other European countries. According to the German government, more than 400,000 of the displaced are currently in Germany to seek refuge – among these are thousands of Africans. While the legal …

The World Economic Forum today unveils the world’s most promising 109 Young Global Leaders under the age of 40, involved in activities from advocating for the rights of refugees to the advancement of innovation to combat COVID-19Among the 42 countries represented, 12 leaders hail from Africa and their work brings the promise of a brighter outlook at a difficult timeThey …

As the Federal Statistical Office announced in Wiesbaden on Tuesday, 22.3 million people living in Germany have a so-called migration background. This corresponds to a population share of 27.2 per cent. People with a migration background are those who themselves or at least one parent was not born with German citizenship. According to the data determined on the basis of …

I attended the opening of a new private dental practice in the Bavarian town of Neusäss on Friday, 8 April. The clinic, Zahnarztpraxis OloWow, belongs to Nigerian-born Dr Margaret Mosun Olowookere. When I started The African Courier and with it my press coverage of the African community in January 1998, there were very few African doctors and dentists in private …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 31st March, 2022 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The role that women should play in shaping Africa’s present and future was a key theme from speakers of the Women Heads of State Initiative, co-convened by Africa.com and Coca-Cola Africa. The event introduced the world to the 22 women who have served as president or prime minister of an African …

ABH annually awards 10 outstanding entrepreneurs from across Africa with a share of a US$1.5 million grant

A migrant’s personal story of return, resolution and resilience Tübingen – It’s a warm summer day in 2021. Musa Coker sits in the office of his return counsellor. He has visited the small office in Southwest Germany multiple times this year, seeking information, advice and counsel and discussing his return to The Gambia, his country of origin. Today, Musa will …

"There is still a feeling that everything that's local is primitive"

Our contributing editor, Frankfurt, Germany-based Mickie Ojijo, writes on the efforts of the Kenyan election commission to register Kenyans living in the Middle East, Europe and North America for the country’s general election scheduled for August 2022. Ojijo, who is the Secretary of the Kenya Development Associates, analyses the result of the registration exercise and the chances of Kenyans voting …

Prince Anthony Ekene Onwuka, a Germany-based lawyer and project management consultant, is the Special Assistant, Project Monitoring and Special Duties, Presidential Monitoring Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Commission, established in 2001, is saddled with the responsibility of redressing the historical neglect to which the oil and gas-rich region had been subjected by successive governments since independence. …

cybercrime, popularly known as “Yahoo-Yahoo”, is a crime perpetrated through electronic communication network, particularly the internet. This menace is very rampant among youths within the age of fourteen to twenty-one and it had done incalculable damage to the image of Nigeria. Cybercrime can be perpetrated through many ways e.g. phone calls, internet calls, sending of scam emails containing “get rich …