WORLD

Afro-German politician and member of the CDU party Kevin Uguru has congratulated Ambassador Dr Jonathan Ojadah over the award conferred on him by US President Joe Biden. Ojadah, a Nigerian humanitarian icon, was honoured by the American leader with the ‘President’s Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his immense contributions to international peace and development. “I, on behalf of the American people, …

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of twelve consuls-general and five chargés d’affaires to represent Nigeria in fourteen countries. The announcement was made by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in a statement released on Tuesday. Among the new appointees is Ambassador Yakubu Dadu, who is …

Lagos has been ranked as the 19th best city to visit in the world, according to Time Out, a global magazine that publishes travel guides and magazines. Apart from Lagos, South Africa’s Cape Town (ranked second) and Ghana’s Accra (44th) were the only African cities that featured on the list, issued by the London-based publication. Time Out, which tags itself …

Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that his ministry would soon establish new passport processing and collection centres, especially for Nigerians in the diaspora, to decongest the influx of people at the already established centres as well as fast track service operations. The Minister made the policy statement at the just-concluded 6th Edition of the Nigeria Diaspora …

By Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP The European Parliament held a memorial service on Thursday to express its solidarity with the recent victims in Israel. In her speech, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said: We are here with the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and all of you – as one – …

The Women Ambassadors Foundation and Howard University Washington DC have awarded the prestigious ”Peace, Inclusion and Diversity” Prize to Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament and Co-Chair of its “Anti-Racism and Diversity Inter-fractional Working Group” (ARDI). The Afro-German politician was honoured for her longstanding commitment to combating racism, discrimination and for diversity. Dr Herzberger-Fofana was jointly presented with …

Since 1988, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded by the European Parliament to individuals or organisations that have worked to defend human rights and freedom of expression. The prize is named after Russian scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov.Vanessa Nakate from Uganda is a candidate for the 2023 Sakharov Prize. Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana*, member of the European …

People of African descent continue to face immense challenges to meaningful participation in public affairs in many countries due to systemic racism, marginalization and exclusion often rooted in the legacies of enslavement and colonialism, according to a UN Human Rights Office report issued Tuesday. The report finds that systemic racism continues to affect negatively people of African descent in all …

The passport of a country determines the freedom of travel enjoyed by its citizens. Singapore’s passport has free access to more destinations – namely 192 (out of 227 in the world) – than any other travel document, according to the 2023 Henley Passport Index, which was released on Tuesday. Free access means visa-free entries and unbureaucratic visa issuance on arrival. …

Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Executive Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has hailed the strategies employed by Ireland to engage the country’s diaspora as offering a good example for Nigeria’s sustained engagement with its own diaspora. Dabiri-Erewa made the comment when she received Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Peter Ryan, in her office in Abuja on Thursday. She …

Ade Bantu (right) and Harry Belafonte/Photo: Courtesy of Ade Bantu Tributes are being paid across the world to the African-American entertainer and rights icon Harry Belafonte, who died in New York on Tuesday at the age of 96. Ade Bantu, the Afro-German musician and rights activist who once met Belafonte, has penned a moving tribute to the Black singer, actor …

The Special Fraud Unit of the Nigerian Police (PSFU) in Lagos has arrested a suspected female fraudster for allegedly defrauding a 50-year-old German man of US$220,000 (about 200,000 euros), after promising to marry him. The police spokesperson, SP Eyitayo Johnson, who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Wednesday (19 April 2023), said the 21-year-old suspect lured the victim on …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament representing Germany on the platform of the Green Party, is attending the ongoing 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, part of activities commemorating this year’s International Women’s Week. She writes about the conference and her views on how to address gender inequality—- By Dr Pierrette …

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh, Special Correspondent US President Joe Biden holds an African leaders’ gathering in Washington as a further major step to strengthen geopolitical dialogue and multifaceted relations between the United States and Africa. As the White House gears up for the African Leaders Summit, holding on 13-15 December, several reports indicate that a few African countries might not …

More than 50,000 people have died on global migration routes since 2014, , according to a new report published by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on 23 November. Despite the increasing loss of life, little action has been taken by governments in countries of origin, transit, and destination to address the ongoing global crisis of missing migrants, the …

Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP, pays tribute to Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old young Iranian woman who died on 16 September 2022 in police custody following her arrest for violating the Islamic dress rule for women. Her death has led to widespread protests in the country for greater rights. According to Iran Human Rights, at least 201 people have been killed by …

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel was named winner of the prestigious Nansen Award for offering a haven to those fleeing violence at the height of the Syrian conflict, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday. Merkel, who stepped down last year after 16 years as head of government, welcomed the desperate Syrians at the height of the conflict in …

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari appeals to the world on funds stolen from African countries likening them to artefacts unlawfully acquired during colonial rule in an open letter published in London’s Financial Times on Wednesday: —– President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has called for Western nations holding funds stolen from African to release them for the development of the continent. In …

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates call on leaders to keep commitments to world’s poorest and invest in innovation, ingenuity to continue saving millions of lives. Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Report Says Progress Still Possible Despite Setbacks to Global Goals The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday released its sixth annual Goalkeepers Report, noting that nearly every indicator of the …

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, September 7, 2022/ — Two months to the 27th global climate summit (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, African and other global leaders have rallied in Rotterdam, to highlight the urgency of climate adaptation funding for the continent. The meetings — co-convened by the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, CEO of the Global Center …