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The last may not have been heard about Ghana’s last general elections. The candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has gone to court to challenge the victory of President Nana Akufo-Addo in the hotly contested polls, held on 7 December. According to the result announced by the country’s election commission, Akufo-Addo of the governing New …

After months of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) went into operation on 1 January. “Truly today is a historic day, a day in which we start officially trading under the preferences of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Today is a day we take Africa a step closer to a vision of …

President-Elect of the United States, Joe Biden, has named Osaremen Okolo, a Nigerian-American, as his COVID-19 policy advisor. Okolo was among 100 names announced as additional members of the White House staff by the Biden transition team on Wednesday. According to Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the COVID-19 Response Team will “work to quickly implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government COVID-19 …

Rita Ekua Yamoah reports on a recent program, organised by the Frankfurt-based non-governmental organisation Maisha e.V. for the empowerment of girls and women in Ghana against irregular migration, which took place in Accra. — Germany-based Maisha – African Women in Germany e.V. has again held a 5-day program to empower women who went through difficulties as a result of irregular …

What you need to know about visiting the UK from 1 January 2021

Nigeria’s federal government has imposed fresh travel requirements on passengers travelling into the country from the United Kingdom and South Africa as from Monday. The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, disclosed this at its briefing in Abuja on Thursday, said penalties, including passport or visa suspension for at least six months, would be imposed …

Since several agencies of government have made registration for the National Identification Number (NIN) mandatory, the issue has become a source of concern to Nigerians including those in the diaspora. Last week, the Nigerian Communication Commission ordered telecommunications companies to suspend mobile phone SIM cards that are not linked to NIN. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of the Nigerians In Diaspora …

Nigeria’s federal government has imposed new nationwide restrictions amid rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in various parts of the country. Mr Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, announced this on Monday at the briefing of the task force in Abuja, the nation’s capital. He explained that the directives were advisories issued to state …

COVID-19 cases in the African region have risen steadily over the past two months, underscoring the need for reinforced public health measures to avert a surge in infections, particularly as people gather or travel for end-of-year celebrations. Since mid-October, an average of 46,000 cases per week have been recorded in the 47 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African …

Following a directive to suspend the registration of new SIM cards nationwide, Nigerians with existing SIM cards have been directed to update their SIM registration details with their National Identification Number (NIN), sparking angry reactions. Our correspondent Abeeb Alawiye reports from Abuja —- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said in a statement on Tuesday that the country’s Minister of Communications and …

Osasere ‘Joy’ Igbineweka, popularly known as Mama Prosper, was laid to rest in a solemn ceremony in Frankfurt on Friday 11 December. She had died in the morning of 26 November in the German city. Despite the unfavourable weather condition and the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, friends and family members turned out in a large number to pay their last respects …

Despite allegations of malpractices by the opposition, our contributing editor, Kester Kenn Klomegah, explains why Ghana’s latest elections are a good sign for the country   Ghana has admirably shown its democratic credentials by holding another peaceful elections, both presidential and parliamentary, early December. In a tightly contested presidential election, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, an experienced politician and highly successful …

An association of German companies and institutions active in Africa has hailed the re-election of Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo. In a press statement issued on Monday (14 December), Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. said Akufo-Addo’s victory at the country’s recent elections signals political continuity and creates security for companies doing business in the country. “The re-election of incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo …

By retaining his IBF, WBA, and WBO titles, Anthony Joshua has given boxing lovers around the world, and particularly in Nigeria, something to cheer, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said.  Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesman in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said Buhari made his feelings known while celebrating the decisive victory of the Nigerian-born boxer over Kubrat Pulev …

Two thirds of women in women’s shelters (Frauenhäusern) in Germany have a migration background, according to a recent survey. Some of the reasons why women seek protection in such homes, commonly called refuge for battered women, include domestic violence and lack of money to rent their own accommodation. According to the statistics of the Women’s Shelter Coordination (Frauenhauskoordinierung) presented in …

  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been declared winner of the 2020 Presidential elections by the country’s electoral commission. Nana Akufo-Addo of the governing NPP polled 6,730,413, representing 51.595% while his main opponent John Mahama of the NDC garnered 6, 214, 889 representing 47.366% in the country’s 8th election since the beginning of its 4th Republic in 1992. The …

Former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria has heaped praises on his countrymen and women who live outside the country for their “immense sacrifice” for their homeland. Dr Jonathan made the remarks on Tuesday while receiving an award from the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) in Yenagoa. The award was presented to the former Nigerian leader by the president of …

A coalition of 22 Nigerian-American organisations has congratulated one of their own, Adewale Adeyemo, on his nomination as the next US Deputy Secretary of Treasury. Nigerian-born Adeyemo, 39, was tapped for the role by President-elect Joe Biden on 1 December and would be the first African-American to hold the position, if confirmed. The congratulatory message was contained in a statement …

President of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi Adesina, has said up to 30 million jobs would be lost in Africa by the end of 2020. According to the former Nigerian agriculture minister, while speaking at the ‘Virtual 2020 International Forum on African Leadership’ in Ivory Coast, the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year dealt a terrible …

Starting from the decade of Ghana’s independence until today, the book, by Desmond John Beddy, traces the history of Ghanaian presence in Germany excellently – the motivation for migrating to Germany, the categories of those migrating, and how these changed over the decades, and the reasons for the changes..