News

A former member of Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives has been appointed the Senior Special Assistant on Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to the President. The appointment of Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a leading member of the ruling APC, is interpreted as a sign of the government’s recognition of the enormous contributions of the Diaspora to Nigeria’s development. The World Bank Migration and …

Eric Chinje, the chief executive of the Nairobi-headquartered African Media Initiative, was in Germany recently and took part at the conference Media and Migration: Perspectives from Africa – Challenges for Europe, held at the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism in Dortmund. In an exclusive interview with our correspondent Ousainou Bayo, Chinje talks about a plethora of issues ranging from …

Efosa Ogieriakhi mobilises diaspora Nigerians for Edo governorship election A group of Europe-based indigenes from Edo State, Nigeria, has endorsed the governorship aspiration of Godwin Obaseki, a member of the governing All Progressives Congress, and pledged to campaign for him at the forthcoming election in the state later in the year. The decision was made in Berlin in March at …

Our correspondent Ousainou  Bayo was recently in Brussels to attend the 51st National Day celebrations hosted by the country’s ambassador to the European Union. He reports. The Gambian ambassador to the European Union, Her Excellency Mrs Teneng Mba Jaiteh, has invited friends of The Gambia and travel enthusiasts to visit the country. “The Gambia prides itself as a choice destination …

Nigerian psychologist, Prof Erhabor Sunday Idemudia, talks about migration from Africa A conference of European and African leaders took place in the Maltese capital, Valetta, in November to find a solution to the refugee crisis. The EU offered African countries aid amounting to 1.8 billion euros to fight the causes of emigration and relieve Europe of the pressure of young …

German President Joachim Gauck’s visit to Nigeria in February to intensify bilateral relations between both nations especially in economic and security matters, according to analysts. The 4-day tour from 8-13 February, which took Gauck to the federal capital Abuja and the economic hub Lagos, saw the German president meeting political and business leaders to discuss areas of common interests. In …

 Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Maria Böhmer, recently met the female Ambassadors from Africa in Berlin to discuss topical foreign policy issues. The get-together at Villa Borsig initially focused on the growing threat posed by terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State, Boko Haram and Al Shabab, as well as flight and migration, the role of women …

The inspiring story of painstaking negotiations, compromise and convictionHoucine Abassi, head of Tunisia’s General Labour Union (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail or UGTT), is regarded as the Father of the National Dialogue in Tunisia. After the revolution following the overthrow of the Ben Ali dictatorship in January 2011, a power tussle among competing political and cultural forces ensued. The wrangling led …

Humanitas Afrika has launched a creative initiative to promote positive Africa in the Czech Republic. Around Africa in a Month is a current affairs programme and a platform of constructive dialogue held on the last Friday of every month to discuss serious issues that touch on the development of the African continent and showcase the various contributions that the African …

BOOK  Medicinal plants and traditional medical practices in Sierra Leone have much to offer the rest of the world. Dr Cyrus MacFoy, professor, researcher and consultant, highlights more than 200 plants used to cure more than 100 diseases and illnesses in this information guide. He provides the plants’ locations, their botanical and local names, their English common names, and the …

“We will also encourage the Diaspora to engage the mission” In an exclusive interview with our correspondent Ousainou Bayo, Gambia’s ambassador to the European Union, HE Mrs Teneng Mba Jaiteh (pictured), talks about the challenges of her work, the focus of her country’s foreign policy and what the The Gambia is doing to attract more foreign investment and tourists, among …

Germany and South Africa have agreed to work more closely in areas such as climate action, trade, development and measures to address terrorism, said Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference after she held talks with President Jacob Zuma in Berlin on 10 November. It was during the South African leader’s official visit to Germany and the first time the …

Souleiman is a Darfuri young man who had to leave for Khartoum from Darfur in 2004, sheltering in the outskirts of the capital, he did not have the chance to receive proper schooling. Lacking therefore a vocational skill, he was unemployed for most of the time. However, in spring 2013, he came to know that there was a vocational training …