News

Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has been voted German Footballer of the Year by sports journalists in Germany, the German magazine kicker said. Boateng won the vote by a landslide after getting 163 votes, far more than fellow Bayern players Thomas Müller (95) and Robert Lewandowski (90). Boateng is the first defender to win the accolade since Bayern Munich and …

Benin’s President Patrice Talon has promised to turn the fortunes of his country around by the end of his five-year term in office. He made the declaration in Paris recently during his first official visit to Europe since his election in March. Talon said leaders must improve the lot of their citizens. “Those who govern have the responsibility to eradicate …

African women from across Europe and guests from Africa gathered recently at the prestigious Maritim Hotel in the western German city of Dusseldorf. The conference with the theme “Leadership and Integration for Change” was attended by more than hundred participants. The meeting was organised by African Women in Europe ( AWE ). Founded in 2008 by Joy Wanjiru Zenz and …

As the 2016 general elections draw nearer the first line of Ghana’s national anthem, “God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong”, is the prayer on the lips of every Ghanaian. And Ghanaians living in Germany are no exception as they look forward to the polls, which are to hold on 6 December. Organised by the …

On a recent tour of Senegal, Niger and Rwanda, German Development Minister Gerd Müller repeated his call for a Marshall Plan for Africa. But is a post-World War II-style recovery program realistic or even necessary? Gerd Müller makes his way on foot across the arid field in Cayar, a small town in Senegal. After a few steps, he reaches the …

The United Kingdom decided to end its European Union membership at the referendum of 23 June. Actual exit will not commence until the British government invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. British Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated this will not be rushed and will not happen this year. Our contributing editor and London-based legal scholar Sylvester …

The news headlines on the recent municipal elections in South Africa have one thing in common: that the governing African National Congress (ANC) lost and hence is losing its dominance of the country’s political landscape. The 2016 municipal elections elected the members of the district, metropolitan and local municipal councils in all 9 provinces, who, in turn, will elect the …

The South Sudanese government has decided to deploy a regional force to protect civilians. The decision comes a month after fighting broke out between rival army factions and the release of a critical UN report. Mahboub Maalim, head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD), said on Friday (5 August) that the government had accepted a protection …

Maisha e.V. hosted the International Conference on Political Participation of Migrant Women in Frankfurt recently. The event, featuring podium discussions and workshops, explored how women of African descent, migrant women in Germany and even refugees could better be involved in the political process to champion their interests. The conference was organised in collaboration with ASA, a programme of Engagement Global …

Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the attacks in Wurzburg and Ansbach as “Islamic terror” but assured that the country will continue to offer refuge to those fleeing war and political persecution. The attacks were shocking, distressing and depressing, the Chancellor said at a press conference in Berlin today (28 July). “Taboos of civilisation are being broken,” she said, referring to …

Ghana has begun to offer visas on arrival to citizens of all 54 African Union member states. Ghana is now the third country in the continent after Mauritius and Rwanda to allow visas on arrival for all Africans. Ghana’s new visa policy is big news in Africa because travelling in the continent is not easy for Africans. “Nationals from African …

General elections will be held in Ghana on 7 December 2016 to elect a President and Members of Parliament. They had originally been scheduled for 7 November 2016, but the date was later rejected by Parliament. “Despite the demonstration of our preparedness to deliver a credible and world-class elections on the proposed November 7 date, parliament in its wisdom has …

British Muslims are the most generous charity-givers, according to the UK’s Charity Commission, which says Muslims gave about £100 million to charities over the month of Ramadan alone. The news confirms Muslims’ reputation as being the most generous religious group when it comes to charitable donations. The Charity Commission’s Nick Donaldson described the £100 million as being the equivalent of …

Tom Skye, a frequent visitor to Côte d’Ivoire and the author of a travel book on the country, writes on the evolution of Ivorian music, tracing the roots of its modern expression to its very distant past. Music is everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire. It’s played and performed on buses, trains, beaches and football pitches, and in bars, restaurants, workplaces and …

As the European Union threatens to unravel in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave, the African Union is pursuing a path of closer integration through the launch of a common passport that will grant visa-free access to all 54 member states, reports Tolani Alao (NAN). The long-awaited African Union (AU) passport was launched on Sunday, 17 July at the …

Africa’s future rests in the hands of its youth – and every effort must be made to ensure they thrive, philanthropist and entrepreneur Bill Gates said in South Africa on Sunday, 17 July. Delivering the 2016 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the University of Pretoria (Mamelodi campus), Gates said he was optimistic about the future of the continent – because …

About half of Europeans fear the arrival of refugees raises the risk of attacks in their countries, a survey published on Monday found, and many, especially in the east, see them as a burden on their economy. Washington-based Pew Research Center found the share of people believing that “refugees will increase the likelihood of terrorism in our country” was, among …

Berlin has officially referred to colonial-era crimes committed by German troops in today’s Namibia as genocide. The government has been criticized, however, for holding talks with Namibia without survivors’ descendants. For decades, Germany’s parliament and governments tried their level best to avoid this dark chapter of German colonial history. Daily newspaper “Frankfurter Rundschau,” reported on 12 June, however, that for …

Clashes have resumed in South Sudan’s capital Juba between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and ex-rebel leader Riek Machar. Former UN diplomat Peter Schumann tells DW the fighting may escalate into a full-scale war. South Sudan’s presidency on Friday put the death toll from the clashes at 270, although it is thought to be much higher by now. The …

The inaugural version of the Nigerian Ambassador’s Cup Germany football tournament took place on 14 May in Berlin. The trophy was contested for by the chapters of the Nigerian Community Germany (NCG) e.V. Four teams – NCG Hamburg, NCG Wolfsburg, NCG Ausburg and NCG Berlin/Cottbus – participated in the final stages. The competition was organised by the national body of …