Special

Germany: Foreign students to be denied visas because of coronavirus pandemic – federal government

Foreign students coming to Germany this semester whose courses can now be done entirely online will not be eligible for visas because of the pandemic, the government has announced. But there is no cause for alarm for most students. Elliot Douglas reports More than 80,000 foreign students in Germany had left the country by April, with lecture halls and libraries …

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Standard Chartered and Airtel form partnership to drive financial inclusion across Africa

Standard Chartered and Airtel Africa will work together to co-create new, innovative products aimed at enhancing the accessibility of financial services DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, August 13, 2020/ — Standard Chartered Bank and Airtel Africa have today announced a strategic collaboration to drive financial inclusion across key markets in Africa by providing customers with increased access to mobile financial services. …

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Ecobank unveils card-less ATMs in Nigeria

In a move that promises to make sending and receiving cash easier, Ecobank has introduced cardless Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). The bank’s Xpress Cash enables users to withdraw cash from ATMs using only a mobile phone. “The solution is seamless, secure and is driven by the use of a code (e-token) by an account holder via the bank’s USSD code …

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“Good day for Mother Ghana” as president opens Volkswagen assembly plant in Accra

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday unveiled the first vehicles assembled in Volkswagen’s new plant in Accra. “It is a good day for Mother Ghana. The Volkswagen assembly plant will create a lot of highly skilled jobs, reduce the high amounts of foreign exchange used in the importation of second-hand vehicles, and, thereby, help strengthen the Ghanaian currency, whilst, at …

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Shoprite announces plan to leave Nigeria

The South African-based supermarket chain Shoprite has announced its plan to exit Nigeria while reporting its business report on Monday (3 August) in Johannesburg.  Shoprite said the decision was made after “approaches from various potential investors, and in line with our re-evaluation of the Group’s operating model in Nigeria.” The company, Africa’s largest supermarket chain, said its business in Nigeria …

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Too black for some, too white for others: Conflicts of Afro-German Identity

“I’m used to not being German enough, living in this country, but not being African enough to represent Africa in Germany was a new one to me,” writes Jennifer Odusola, narrating the complexity of the experience of Germans of dual African-German heritage. — Thoughtless statements or comments that aren’t meant to ‘offend’ often have ways of exposing hidden conflicts regarding …

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AfDB: Adesina cleared by investigative panel, sets for reelection as President

A much awaited report by an Independent Review Panel has completely exonerated the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina of any ethical wrongdoings. The Independent Review Panel was set up by the Bureau of Governors of the Bank, following a complaint by the United States to review the process by which its two organs – the Ethics …

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After COVID-19, will Africa Catch Up, Stand Still or Fall Further Behind?

With this global health crisis comes an economic disruption of unprecedented proportion, Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka* looks at the possible long-term impact of the pandemic on African countries and suggests what they must do to turn the crisis to opportunity ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 27, 2020/ — At one time or another, nations and individuals confront crisis points – moments of …

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Top 50 Finalists of 2020 ‘Africa’s Business Heroes’ Competition selected

Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) selects Top 50 Finalists of 2020 “Africa’s Business Heroes” Competition.  LONDON, United Kingdom, July 27, 2020/ — Top 50 finalists were selected from over 22,000 applications across all 54 African nations; The finalists represent 21 African countries, half are female, and work in 18 sectors like agriculture, AI, e-commerce, fashion, healthcare, renewable …

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New Online Course: Harvard Teaches Africans How to Build Scalable Businesses

Africa has complex and unique business opportunities. Harvard Business School professors are launching a new online course to teach entrepreneurs how to build scalable businesses designed to solve core problems in Africa. Unlike other business courses, this one focuses on identifying points of opportunity for smart entrepreneurial efforts through live online lectures, peer-to-peer learning, and real-life lessons incorporated into participants’ …

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Mastercard Foundation launches scheme to provide 3 million young Ugandans with jobs

The Mastercard Foundation on Thursday (23 July) announced its Young Africa Works strategy in Uganda, which has set a goal to enable more than 3 million young people in the country to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030. Under Young Africa Works, the Foundation has committed $200 million to ensure young women, men and refugees in Uganda have …

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Afrozensus: Online survey on anti-Black racism in Germany launched

Racism in different forms and places is a common experience for the more than one million people of African descent in Germany. Black people are often subjected to police identity control more than other groups. Also, they experience discrimination in public offices, at the workplace, while accessing healthcare, looking for apartment, in schools, in the justice system, in their neighbourhoods …

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Skills training scheme improves quality of life in Ghana – AfDB report

A six-year project to develop industrial skills among Ghana’s workforce has improved the engineering and manufacturing skills of young people, promoted economic competitiveness and contributed to an improvement in the quality of life of beneficiaries and a reduction in poverty, according to an African Development Bank (AfDB) report issued on 15 July 2020. The Development of Skills for Industry Project …

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Mental Health in Black Communities: Time to Act

The issue of mental health is one of those taboos among Black people. Even the World Bank identified that ‘Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, affect millions of people worldwide. They impose an enormous global disease burden that leads to premature mortality and affects functioning and quality of life’. It is high time, we in the …

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Syinix launches the first android TV in Kenya

Syinix launched its first Android TV in Kenya at 10.30 pm, 15th July 2020. The Launch which took place on NTV and Startimes Kenya and hosted by Size 8 Reborn. With the launch, Syinix explained to customers in detail what the Syinix A20 series has to offer. The Syinix A20 series has 32”, 43”, 50” and 55” screen. Here is …

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Mastercard Foundation launches scholarship programme for African students

Mastercard Foundation and USIU-Africa partner to expand access to higher education in Africa NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Nairobi-based United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) and the Mastercard Foundation today announced a partnership that will enable 1,000 high-performing students to receive quality education and leadership development over the next 10 years under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. The …

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Special Report: Ghanaians in Germany – 1950s till today

Estimates of the number of Ghanaians living outside their homeland range from one to three million out of a general population of about 30 million. Ghanaians in Germany are reputed to form the second largest of the country’s diaspora populations in Europe, after the United Kingdom. Journalist, translator and community activist Sam Atsu Nove*, who first arrived in Germany in …

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