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 The Union of Ghanaian Associations in Germany (UGAG) elected a new National Executive Committee at its recent bi-annual conference held in Kassel. The conference, attended by representatives of local Ghanaian associations from all over Germany, chose the following 7-member National Executive Committee officials: Mr. Akwasi Opoku Edusei – President; Mr. Alexander Okai Anane – Vice-president; Mr. Aaron Hooper – General Secretary; Mr. Paul …

President Muhammadu Buhari launched the new Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2020 at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday. The objective of the NVP 2020 is to strengthen Nigeria’s position as a key economy in Africa by attracting more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country’s economy, he said. The NVP 2020 features visa-on-arrival for African Union nationals, increase in …

The United Kingdom officially ended its 47 years of European Union membership on 31 January, ending the uncertainties that have characterised the bloc since 23 June 2016 when 52 percent of Britons voted to take their country out of the then 28-member bloc (now 27). Brexit however is yet to be fully consummated as the two sides still have to …

The Nigerian government has officially reacted to the Trump administration’s decision to add the country to the latest list of nations to face stringent travel restrictions to the United States. In a press statement signed by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the Nigerian government clarified that the measure “is the suspension of the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerian passport holders …

This follows the announcement of a partnership between Facebook and The South African Police Service (SAPS) to use the Facebook platform and community to help find missing children

President Donald Trump has added Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan and Tanzania as well as Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan to the list of countries to face stringent travel restrictions to the United States, according to an official announcement on Friday. In line with the new policy, immigrant visas, issued to those seeking to live permanently in the United States, will be banned for …

The Greek government unveiled a plan to build sea barriers across the Aegean Sea in a bid to prevent irregular migrants crossing to the Greek islands from Turkey in a bid, according to analysts, to call the bluff of Turkish President Erdogan, who has repeatedly threatened to send millions of refugees to Europe. Greece’s defence ministry published a call for …

Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, has released figures showing that unemployment in the EU is at its lowest since 2000. The average unemployment rate in the 28 EU states was 6.2 percent in December 2019, the lowest in almost 20 years. The Czech Republic (2.0 percent) as well as Germany and the Netherlands (both 3.2 percent) had the lowest jobless …

Over 3 million people in Germany work more than one job, many because of financial difficulties. Opposition politicians are calling for the minimum wage to be raised. The number of people in Germany working a second job rose nearly 4% in the space of a year, according to figures from the Federal Employment Agency. They were revealed in response to …

As a new labour migration law is set to enter into force, the federal government has approved an integration plan under which prospective migrants will be offered language lessons and information about Germany in their home countries. The federal government wants to prepare potential migrants for life in Germany already in their home countries. This is according to the National …

The German capital has launched a five-year project to mark its part in European colonialism. Streets which still honour leaders who led the Reich’s imperial expansion will be renamed — and some locals aren’t happy. Ben Knight reports Berlin’s relationship with its colonial history is being reconsidered, despite opposition from far-right politicians and some disgruntled locals unhappy at plans to change the …

As Lassa fever spreads across Nigeria, a medical doctor has warned against drinking garri in cold water. The Director of Public Health, Enugu State, Dr Boniface Okolo, has cautioned Nigerians against the consumption of garri soaked in cold water to avoid contacting Lassa fever. Okolo, who gave the warning in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Saturday …

The Take it Back Movement (TiB), founded by rights activist Omoyele Sowore, has announced that it has been registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission as a socio-political organization. In a press release issued on Sunday, the Movement described the registration as “the latest milestone in our journey towards being the political anti-thesis of the unconscionable government of the day in …

Originally titled ‘Evanesce’, Berlin-based legal scholar and creative author Nelly Sarpong writes on a fictional precarious journey across the Mediterranean in a rickety boat overfilled with African migrants, revealing the perils faced by thousands of migrants every year in their quest for better life in Europe.

While most African countries hold regular elections, the people are not satisfied with the performance of their elected leaders. According to opinion polls, most Africans feel that they are yet to enjoy the economic fruits of democracy. Why has democracy not delivered economic dividends? At an event in Berlin, a Nigerian economist and former federal minister, Obiageli Ezekwesili, addressed the …

On Christmas day, 11 Christian hostages were killed, 10 of whom beheaded, by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State and the chilling video of the dastardly crime circulated by the Islamic fundamentalists. On 20 January, Reverend Lawan Andimi, a clergyman, was also beheaded by the same terrorists. The plight of Christians in northern Nigeria is very precarious. A …

The Trump administration has issued a new rule  instructing United States consular officials to deny pregnant women visas unless they can prove “to the satisfaction of the consular officer” either that they are not traveling to the US to give birth, or that they have a legitimate medical reason to give birth in the country. In the latest immigration control measure, the United …

About 200 people took the streets of Cologne on Saturday in a public demonstration against a recent controversial court ruling allowing the use of the word neger (subsequently referred to as the N-word in this report) to describe people of African descent. The protesters demanded that the use of the derogatory word be made illegal as it degrades Black people. …

The western German city Dortmund will witness the grand opening of a centre for Africans on 31 January. Afrika-Haus promises to be a veritable centre for community empowerment, as it’s a place to seek help to the myriad of issues faced by African migrants, as well as an entertainment hub. Afrika-Haus Dortmund, established by the non-governmental organization AfricanTide Union e.V., …

The revised Schengen Visa Code includes an increase in application fee, lengthier visa validity, extended application period, sanction for citizens of countries that refuse to readmit their citizens, among others.