Special

The first-ever Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit took place in Abuja on 27-29 November. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who delivered the keynote address at the event, and participating ministers outlined opportunities and incentives for Nigerians resident abroad to invest in their homeland. Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, in his address to the conference, asserted that the federal government “strongly seek the …

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will pay a working visit to Germany on 9-11 December. He will meet with Nigerians, speak at a business event and hold talks with German leaders during the 3-day visit, which aims to promote Nigeria as a favourable place to invest. Prof Osinbajo will hold a town hall interactive meeting with Nigerians living in Germany on Sunday, …

Vice-President’s Keynote Address at the 1st Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit The first-ever Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit took place in Abuja on 27-29 November. More than 300 Nigerians living outside the country attended the event, which seeks to mobilize the diaspora to invest in Nigeria as part of the present government’s efforts to reposition the national economy. Diaspora investors had the …

The Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN) has called on the Nigerian government to “significantly increase consular support” to Nigerian irregular migrants in the transit and destination countries. The Germany-based group made the call in a press statement, released on Monday 26 November, arguing that stranded migrants, especially in transit, are left totally at the mercy of the very traffickers who …

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will deliver a keynote address at the maiden Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS), which holds in Abuja on 27-29 November. The three-day summit, themed “Activating Diaspora Investment for a Diversified Economy” and holding in the Banquet Hall of the State House, Aso Villa, is to provide a platform for Nigerians in the diaspora to invest in the …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for more private investment in Africa as she hosted African leaders as part of a concerted effort to drive the continent’s economic development and create jobs for its millions of unemployed youths. In her opening address on Tuesday at the G20 Compact with Africa Summit, taking place in Berlin on 30-31 October, Merkel said …

William Ijeh, a senior official of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is vying for one of the global organisation’s top positions at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018, taking place in Dubai from 29 October-16 November. Mr Ijeh, a Nigerian national who has worked with the Geneva-based ITU for 21 years, is a candidate for the post of Director, Bureau of …

Presidents and heads of government of eleven African countries are to participate at the G-20 Compact with Africa (CwA) conference, hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. The event, Investment Summit-German Business and the CwA Countries, taking place on 30-31 October brings together “reform-minded” African countries, international organizations and bilateral partners from the G20 to advertise investment opportunities in …

More than 200 Nigerians in the Diaspora have indicated interest to participate in the maiden Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) slated to hold on 27-29 November in Abuja. This was revealed by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, at a joint news conference with other stakeholders in Abuja on Monday (15 October). …

The annual African Youth Education Awards (AYEA) took place on Saturday and was attended by more than 400 guests from across Germany. The event, which showcases the success of young people with African background in their educational endeavours, was attended by, among other dignitaries, the Mayor of Hamburg-Mitte, Falko Drossmann, and the ambassadors of Ghana and Nigeria to Germany, H.E …

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a new executive order which among other things compels Nigerians with assets outside the country to pay taxes on them. The Executive Order (008), tagged Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularisation Scheme (VOARS), was signed by the President on Monday and takes effect from the same day, the Presidency said on Wednesday, 8 October. According to a …

Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 8-10 November in Vienna, Austria. In addition to addressing issues of concern to Nigerians in diaspora, the event will discuss the outcome of the first-ever Nigerian Diaspora Global Project & Investment Summit UK, which took place in July 2018 in London. The objective of the conference …

Do you have an ingenious idea, courage, energy and passion? German Founders and Entrepreneurs Days (Die Deutschen Gründer- und Unternehmertage or deGUT) 2018 is the place to be as you will have access to expertise and information on what it takes to establish your own business. From defining your idea to issues of financing, marketing and sales – this event, …

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says his government, over the last 21 months, has ensured stability and adequate supply of power in the country, in the place of the erratic power situation that it inherited. Speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit, in London, on Monday, 8th October, 2018, President Akufo-Addo indicated that his government, over the …

Senegal’s international music star Akon is planning a solar investment programme for Sierra Leone as part of plans to support the government of President Julius Maada Bio. Akon, real name Aliaume Damala Badara, met with the president in the United States on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, UNGA. Local media reports that his investment will comprise the …

The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has launched a scheme under which it will grant mortgage loans to nationals in the diaspora. The bank in a statement issued on Friday (5 October) said the loan targets non-resident Ethiopians and foreign nationals of Ethiopian origin. CBE chief Bacha Gina said the product was part of the bank’s vision to serve and …

The youth empowerment initiative to promote educational achievement in the African community in Germany holds its annual award ceremony at the premises of the IHK in Hamburg on Saturday, 13 October 2018. The annual African Youth Education (AYE) Awards aim to motivate young people of African origin in Germany to seek excellence in school. The scheme was initiated in 2011 …

A robust manufacturing sector is broadly understood as a fundamental path to economic growth and development. Despite their manufacturing potential and promising trajectories, most African countries have remained relatively dearth of factories, writes Professor Landry Signé. How to unlock the manufacturing and industrialization potential in Africa? The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa …

Speech delivered by Femi Awoniyi, Co-Director of Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), at the 12th Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2018 at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, on Sunday, 23 September 2018. Too many Nigerians are dying daily in the course of irregularly migrating to Europe. Too many are stranded in Europe, unable to obtain legal residency and obliged to return home. Too …

Despite an economic slowdown, most African countries are reported to have a positive economic outlook. This is according to ICAEW’s (the institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) latest report, In Economic Insight: Africa Q3 2018. The report, commissioned by ICAEW and produced by partner and forecaster Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance. The regions …