News

Initiative to increase smartphone ownership for 3.4 billion people launched

First multi-stakeholder initiative to address global mobile internet access gap has been launched by Vodafone Group and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as co-chairs via a dedicated Working Group under the auspices of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. Of the 3.7 billion people not connected to the internet, 3.4 billion live within range of mobile networks but are currently not …

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Ford, MacArthur Foundations to spend $5m on Youth Development in Nigeria

The Ford and MacArthur Foundations have announced the launch of Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF), to the tune of US$5 million to support and strengthen youth leadership ecosystem in Nigeria. The Foundations in close partnership with Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability & Professionalism (LEAP) Africa, in charge of fund management will build on momentum in the region, inspired by the youth-led #EndSARS movement. …

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ECOWAS imposes sanctions on Guinean military leaders

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions, including a freeze in financial assets and travel bans, on members of the new Guinean military government. This followed the Extraordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS member-states on the political situation in Guinea and Mali on Thursday (16 September). The bloc has …

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German Africa Award 2021 goes to Ethiopian rights activist

German Africa Prize 2021 has been awarded to Ethiopian human rights activist Daniel Bekele. The Prize is awarded annually by the German Africa Foundation (Deutsche Afrika Stiftung e.V. or DAS) to “outstanding individuals for their long-standing endeavours to foster democracy, peace, human rights, art, culture, the social market economy and social concerns” in Africa. An independent 24-member jury of experts …

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Report finds stark disparities in COVID-19 impacts across the globe

New data reveals world stepped up to prevent worst-case scenarios from happening; spotlights need for long-term investments to ensure an equitable recovery and continued progress toward the Global Goals SEATTLE, USA, 14 September 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today launched its fifth annual Goalkeepers Report, featuring an updated global dataset illustrating the pandemic’s adverse impact …

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Nigeria’s anti-human trafficking agency gets new director

President Muhammadu Buhari has fired Senator Basheer Mohammed, Director-General of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and appointed Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi to replace him. Mohammed had been appointed on 27 May 2021 to replace Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim. Ms Ibrahim herself had only been on the job for less than six months before her removal, having been …

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Deportations from Germany on the rise again

The number of deportations from Germany has increased again after an initially significant decline in the Corona pandemic. In the first six months of this year, 5,688 people were deported from Germany, compared to 4,616 in the first half of 2020, according to information of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The ministry provided the information in response to a …

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ECOWAS suspends Guinea over military takeover

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended the membership of Guinea in the regional bloc. The leaders of the body, who met via a video conference on Wednesday, was reacting to the recent coup d’état in the country. ECOWAS, in a communiqué issued after the 1-day meeting, announced the suspension of Guinea from the body and called …

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International criticisms of coup in Guinea grow

International criticism of the alleged military takeover of power in the West African country of Guinea is growing louder. After UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the coup, the European Union, the African Union, ECOWAS, France and Britain have also publicly expressed their criticism. The exact background and circumstances of the turbulent events of Sunday in the country’s capital city …

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Project 40/40: Narrating the Nigerian diaspora history

Experts and international organisations generally summarise migration from Nigeria in three main waves. The first wave being the period 1914–1960s, capturing the era when the country was under colonial rule, followed by the second wave, 1960s – 1980s, encapsulating the first two decades after independence. Then, the third wave, 1980s until today. A new project, by the Society of Young …

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Estate for Nigerians in Diaspora to be built in Abuja

A big housing project for Nigerians living outside of their home country is to be built in Abuja. When completed, the Diaspora Mega City Housing Project, which is expected to consist of over 17,000 housing units of different models, will give Nigerians in the Diaspora an opportunity to have a roof over their heads in the nation’s capital city. Senator …

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African leaders praise Merkel’s support for continent

Many African heads of state saw off German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Compact with Africa summit in Berlin. Merkel once more underlined Africa’s potential — and what needs to be done to use it. DW’s Silja Fröhlich, Bob Barry, Saleh Mwanamilongo and Wendy Bashi report ————– It was a moment of goodbye: At the conclusion of the Compact with …

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Opinion: What the EU owes the women and girls in Afghanistan — MEP Herzberger-Fofana

Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament representing Germany on the platform of the Green Party, writes on the Taliban takeover of power in Afghanistan and the moral debt of the free world to the people of the country —– We are all in shock, stunned, following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. We are faced with a state of …

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SAP Dual Study Program fast-tracks work readiness for African university graduates

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 26, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- African university students with ambitions for a career in the fast-paced world of technology are receiving welcome support in the form of the SAP Dual Study Program, a skills development initiative aimed at closing the digital skills gap among graduates. According to Johann Pretorius, Director of Training at the SAP Training …

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Germany needs 400,000 new immigrants per year — National employment agency chief

The population in Germany is stagnating and the number of workers is decreasing. To avoid a labour shortage in the future, Germany needs about 400,000 immigrants per year, according to Detlef Scheele, head of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). Due to demographic developments, the number of potential workers of typical working age is already decreasing by almost 150,000 …

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Pandemic drives use of digital health solutions across Africa

New study shows huge opportunity in digital health with 41% of internet users in Africa regularly using their mobile phones to search for health information. It tells the story of a continent on the cusp of digital health transformation. ——JOHANNESBURG, South Africa,, August 24, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- There has been an exponential rise in the number of people engaging …

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