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The duration of asylum proceedings in Germany increased again last year, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has reported. In 2022, it took an average of 7.6 months for a decision to be made by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, one month longer than in 2021, according to a response by the Ministry to a question from the …

In his first official statement since his declaration as president-elect on 1 March, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu addresses Nigerians and the international community on what they should expect when he takes over the government of Africa’s most populous nation on 29 May. —- Nigeria: at the Cusp of Renewed Hope A fair, credible election has been held and has been …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament representing Germany on the platform of the Green Party, is attending the ongoing 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, part of activities commemorating this year’s International Women’s Week. She writes about the conference and her views on how to address gender inequality—- By Dr Pierrette …

In order to increase the number of deportations of rejected asylum-seekers, the EU states should mutually recognise such decisions, according to the European Commission. Today, an asylum-seeker rejected in one EU country can simply move on to another EU country and start the application process again there, said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson in Strasbourg on Tuesday. “This …

The German government has appointed a special representative on migration who is expected to negotiate with major origin countries of refugees in Germany. Joachim Stamp was named early March as Germany’s first-ever “Special representative of the federal government for migration agreements.” He’s been saddled with the responsibility of finding a solution to the about 250,000 rejected asylum-seekers who are tolerated …

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on Nigerians living in the country to support President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he takes over the reins of government on May 29. Speaking at a Town Hall meeting with Nigerians in Doha during his visit to the State of Qatar, President Buhari said his administration set forward to emplace credible, transparent and fair …

A Nigerian woman who has been wanted in Italy since 2010, was on Wednesday flown from Abuja to Rome where she had been sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison for crimes including running a prostitution ring, Italian police has announced. The 48-year-old Joy Jeff was one of the few women on Italy’s most-wanted list of 100 dangerous fugitives, …

Applications have opened for the third cohort of Google’s Black Founders Fund for Startups in Africa and Europe. The company has committed $4m to support eligible Black-founded startups in 2023. Startups operating and headquartered in Africa or having a legal presence on the continent are eligible to apply for the Black Founders Fund. Other eligibility criteria for startups that wish …

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated Thursday (2 March) that France harboured no desire to return to past policies of interfering in Africa after he began a four-nation tour of the continent. “The age of Francafrique is well over,” Macron said in remarks to the French community in Gabon, referring to France’s post-colonisation strategy of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend its …

The long wait for the result of Saturday’s Nigerian presidential election ended in the early hours of Wednesday when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. The three days of waiting seemed like weeks due to the tension that enveloped the country and even the west African subregion, not …

In a strong show of support for Guineans fleeing Tunisia, President Mamadi Doumbouya was at the airport in Conakry on 1 March to welcome 49 citizens who were repatriated via a special flight. Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power through a coup two years ago, greeted the returnees as they alighted the aircraft. The flight was organised by by …

According to the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), around 966,000 asylum applications (including subsequent applications) were submitted in the European Union in 2022. This is around 50 percent more than in the previous year. The figure does not include refugees from Ukraine who received “temporary protection” in the European Union. Most asylum applicants came from Syria (around 132,000), Afghanistan (129,000), …

German analyst Gerd Eckert* looks at the potential benefits of greater German engagement in Ghana as the West African country marks its 66th independence anniversary — Ghana – a former British colony – gained its independence under the leadership of the first Prime Minister, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who is now respected as a visionary of his time. Today we hear …

Ndi Igbo Germany (NIG), a socio-cultural organization and the umbrella body for all Igbo unions in Germany, has called for peaceful elections in Igboland and Nigeria on 25 February, when citizens of Africa’s most populous nation go to the polls to elect a new president. In the press release, signed by Chief Benjamin Chinaka, Co-ordinator, and Engr. Ikechukwu Eriobu, General …

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 …

Germany wants to recruit more skilled workers from Ghana. Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (both SPD) presented an initiative to this effect on Tuesday in Accra during their visit to the African country. The Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration in the capital city, which has been supporting Ghanaian deportees and returnees since …

Nigerians will go to the polls on Saturday, 25 February to elect the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari who is finishing his second and last term in office. A Nigerian diaspora group has thrown its weight behind Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and is asking diaspora Nigerians to call their …

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is not allowed to analyse the mobile phones of asylum-seekers without a concrete reason. This practice is inadmissible if other available findings and documents are not sufficiently taken into account, the Federal Administrative Court ruled in Leipzig on Thursday. For years, the BAMF, which is the central migration authority in Germany responsible …

Switzerland is Europe’s best country to drive in, new research has revealed. The study, conducted by the International Drivers Association, analysed several factors surrounding driving in Europe and scored 33 countries based on how congested the roads are, the quality of the roads, petrol prices and how safe driving is. The study found that Switzerland is the best European country …

The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Shri Gangandharan Balasubramanian, has commended Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), on her strides at engaging with the Nigerians in the Diaspora globally. The Indian envoy stated this in Abuja when he received in audience, the NiDCOM chief and some management staff to the Indian Embassy in Abuja, who were specially …