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How to support Africa’s recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic through increased multilateral co-operation was the focus of G-PAD 2020, which took place on 27-28 November. Several speakers at the virtual conference, organised by the Germany-based global non-governmental organisation Lead Africa International e.V., agreed that the global crisis had revealed the fundamental structural weaknesses in African economies and …

How to deploy digital solutions to drive post-Covid African recovery was a major focus at the 2020 Global Partnership for African Development (G-PAD) forum, which took place on 27-28 November. At a panel discussion on how digitalisation can help promote economic growth and development in Africa, entitled Digitization and Development: The African Perspective, Sunil Geness, Director for Global Government Affairs …

The global coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating impact on the economies of countries around the world. Africa is one of the regions worst affected as state revenues have taken a big hit. The structure of the continent’s external trade is to blame for the particularly harsh effect of COVID-19 on African countries, Khaled Sheriff, Vice President, Regional Development, Integration …

Across the globe, Africa is putting its spin on the fashion industry. Major fashion markets like Berlin are embracing African fashion, art and culture, and locally, the apparel market is worth USD$31 billion, according to estimates by Euromonitor International. While the African fashion retail industry remains in its infant stages, there has been notable progress in recent years as the industry embraces …

In view of the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on international trade, a group representing German companies doing business with Africa has warned that the Corona crisis could reverse the continent’s economic successes of the past decade if counter measures are not taken. It’s calling on the German government to take concrete steps to stabilise German-African economic relations in …

The coronavirus pandemic is dealing a heavy blow to economies across the world with unemployment, especially among youths, soaring in most countries.  African youths are the worse affected, considering the situation of the continent even before the outbreak of the global health crisis. For example, whereas about 12 million young Africans enter the labour market every year, only 3 million …

424 scholarship slots have been offered to Nigerian students to study various courses in Saudi universities, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has said. In a statement on Monday from the Saudi embassy in Abuja, 150 slots are also given to students from the Republic of Benin annually. It said the slots are part of the 6,597 scholarship the kingdom distributes …

A total of 41 Sierra Leonean students awarded Chinese Government scholarships this year have received financial support to augment their online studies, the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone said on Friday. The Embassy said that the students were awaiting their departure for various universities in China in 2021. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the international students have to take …

An invitation has gone out to young people of African descent in Germany to participate in the Lead Academy 2020 via Zoom on 24-26 November. The event is organised by Lead Africa International e.V., a global non-governmental organization dealing with development issues. The three-day virtual event precedes the Global Partnership for African Development (G-PAD) 2020 Forum, with the theme Strengthening …

Africa has immense potential for photovoltaics which has barely been utilized up until now. But a pioneering spirit is spreading across the continent, with many countries paving the way for ambitious photovoltaics projects. This is the conclusion of the Intersolar Solarize Africa Market Report 2020, prepared by the Becquerel Institute and the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar) with support from Intersolar …

Business is booming in Africa, tipped as a continent to watch in the coming years. This is principally because African economies have experienced an influx of foreign investment interest and an explosion of local entrepreneurship in recent years. From the continent commanding the spotlight on solar energy to the businesses propelling the ‘Made In Africa’ label across the globe, the business world …

Journalists from countries in crisis or war can apply to stay in Berlin for three months. Reporters Without Borders Germany, in cooperation with taz Panter Foundation, will host three journalists in 2021. The Rest and Refuge Scholarship will provide travel, an apartment, a living stipend and transportation in Berlin. “We offer travel expenses, a decent apartment, a monthly stipend of …

A total of 31.41 per cent of goods imported into Nigeria are from China, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported. The NBS revealed in its latest report on ‘Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics’ for the second quarter of 2020, that Spain topped the list of Nigeria’s exported goods. “Nigeria’s imports, by country of origin, shows goods were imported …

Africa’s e-learning market has seen substantial growth due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with the use of e-learning applications and platforms surging as schools and universities are forced to deliver lessons virtually..

When the coronavirus pandemic spread in early 2020, economies around the world closed down and most people were relegated to remote work. But for the young African professionals taking part in the latest AFRIKA KOMMT! programme, the pandemic brought the additional challenge of being in a foreign country and taking part in a highly competitive programme. According to Ilka Wiskemann, …

Theodor Michael, the grand old man of the Black community in Germany, died at the age of 94 on 19 October 2019. Michael, who was born on 15 January 1925 as the youngest of four children to a father from Cameroon and a German mother, was one of the oldest living Germans of African descent at the time of his …

Theodor Michael, who died on 19 October 2019, in this interview* conducted in September of 2003 at his home in Cologne talked about his eventful life and he gives counsel to people of African descent in Germany — What does it mean to be an elderly Afro-German reflecting on the time you were growing up? Theodor Michael: We Blacks were …

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement was initially scheduled to enter into force in July 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commencement of the implementation of the continental deal has been postponed until January 2021. NJ Ayuk*, international legal practitioner and founder of one of Africa’s most successful law chambers, explains why the global health …

“In many African countries, debt service payments take up more place in the budget than investments in education, health or social security. Not only do they lack the financial leeway to effectively tackle the corona crisis in their countries, but in the worst case, they are even threatened with national bankruptcy”

After Senator Johnston Arthur Sakaja’s recent brush with the law over flouting Covid-19 restrictions, the legislator has got back to doing what legislators do best. Drafting bills. His latest brainchild is the Kenyan Diaspora Startup Bill 2020. The bill has good intent but is weak in practice, argues David Monda.  The Kenyan Startup Bill 2020 is an innovative bill that …