Special

The bilateral trade between Germany and Nigeria hit the €3 billion mark in 2022, German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, has announced. This is against €2 billion recorded in 2021. The envoy, who disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, said Germany remains Nigeria’s second biggest partner behind the United States. ”Germany contributed a total trade volume …

Young and not-so-young Nigerians are leaving the country in droves. And the emigrants are educated citizens who possess the knowledge and skills that their homeland needs for its development. How can we turn this brain drain to brain gain? US-based Oluwatoyin Ajilore-Chukwuemeka, scholar and social entrepreneur specialising on the convergence of education, entrepreneurship, policy and development, proposes ways Nigeria can …

The African-German Doctoral Summer School took place for the first time in Hamburg from the 4th to the 9th of September 2023. Organised by Dr Taiwo Fagbemigun, Dr Adekunle Adedeji, Prof Dr Johanna Buchcik and Stella Kaltenbach with the kind support of Hamburg Research Academy (HRA) and Sozialbehörde Hamburg, the School aims to promote academic and social exchange between researchers …

The eldest daughter of Nigeria‘s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be honoured in the German capital city on 18 November. Chief (Mrs) Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, an astute business woman and indefatigable social entrepreneur, will receive an award for her tireless efforts to promote trade and investment in Nigeria at the 1st Hope Renewal Africa Awards in Berlin. The event, christened …

One of Germany’s leading universities has announced that it would start charging foreign students from the so-called third countries tuition fees. Generally, public universities don’t charge tuition fees in Germany. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) in a statement on 5 September that it would reintroduce tuition fees for all students from non-European Union countries as from October 2023. “At …

600 health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa use solar-powered lights and energy systems to stay open for longer. Expectant mothers in rural Africa no longer give birth in darkness, thanks to off-grid solar energy provided by d.light ……… PALO ALTO, CA., USA, AND NAIROBI, KENYA – 21 August 2023 – 600 health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa are able to provide care …

Nigeria to establish a research centre on diaspora issues in its quest to more actively engage its citizens living outside their homeland The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has allocated N1billion for the establishment of a diaspora research centre at the University of Ibadan (UI). Sonny Echono, TETFund executive secretary, in a statement signed by Abdulmumin Oniyangi, said the centre …

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 20, 2023/APO Group/ — The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) received a delegation from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on a courtesy visit on the 17th of July 2023 to discuss ways of strengthening cooperation. The areas of collaboration discussed during …

Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company, has launched Tuition, a new payment product that enables African users to conveniently pay fees to educational institutions within Africa and overseas using their local currencies. The educational institutions available on Tuition include high schools, universities, colleges and some global edutech platforms. Tuition enables students, parents, guardians and sponsors to pay school fees to …

The Berlin-based Gambian journalist and activist Nyima Jadama has been honoured for her engagement against racism and for the empowerment of African migrants. She received this year’s Silvio-Meier-Preis (Silvio Meier Prize), awarded by the Berlin district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg to people who work against racism and discrimination, on Thursday (13 July) at a ceremony in the federal capital city. Ms Jadama, …

According to a new directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recipients of remittances from abroad henceforth have the option to receive their money in naira. This is in addition to the existing alternatives of being paid in dollar and eNaira. The directive, addressed to banks, international money transfer operators (IMTOs) and the general public, was contained in a …

Hon (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has re-emphasised the need for diaspora skills transfer for efficient service delivery in the healthcare sector in Nigeria. Ms Dabiri-Erewa stated this when she received Dr Monica Simi Alabi, a Nigerian-UK based specialist in Healthcare Policy and Leadership, in her office in Abuja. The NiDCOM chief noted that …

In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi, CEO of Gosab Care GmbH, explains the opportunities for self-employment in the care sector in Germany for Africans and how you can easily get started in the business. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur runs three companies – Gosab Personalmanagement und Consulting, Gosab Care GmbH and Gosabflex GmbH, from Cologne with branches …

ANNOUNCEMENT Join us for the 1st African-German Doctoral Summer School from 4th September – 9th September 2023 in Hamburg! The interdisciplinary Doctoral Summer School aims to facilitate academic and social exchange that supports participants’ current research, enhances their sociocultural integration and prepares them for further careers. Who can apply?Doctoral candidates, students and early-stage post-docs with an African or migration background …

The 3rd edition of the Conference of African PhDs in Germany (#CAPiG) will take place from 4 to 9 September 2023. This year’s Conference will be held as a hybrid event – with an online component (4 – 7 September 2023) complementing the face-to-face meeting in Hamburg, Germany (9 September 2023) . CAPiG was conceived to bring together African intellectuals …

The Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, is looking to the diaspora for investment in his self-professed determination to transform the economy of the southeastern state. Mbah, who assumed office on 29 May, launched the Enugu State Diaspora and Investment Forum (ES-DIF) recently, with the objective to attract increased investment from the state’s indigenes in the diaspora. Enugu …

Providing nursing care to the people in need of it is the most promising business an African can go into in Germany. That is the view of Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi. And when the Nigerian-born entrepreneur talks he should be listened to. For he is the founder and CEO of the Gosab Group of Companies, a Cologne-based provider of nursing care …

The German Award for Sustainability Projects 2023 was presented recently at a colourful ceremony in Berlin. The annual award promotes a greater awareness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in the social, economic and environmental fields as well as efforts to attain the goals. This year again, big and small companies and non-governmental organisations were …

ANNOUNCEMENT The extraordinary seminar programme offered by the State of Berlin on the topic of start-ups and self-employment for people with a migration background interested in starting a business begins a new round in July! For the past 21 years, the state of Berlin has been strengthening cultural diversity of Berlin’s start-ups and has been running the seminar series “Vielfalt gründet” (formerly: …

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has invited David Olatokunbo Alaba to invest in Nigeria, the homeland of the Austrian international footballer’s father. The Nigerian leader made the plea when he addressed Nigerians in Paris on Thursday in his first formal engagement with the diaspora. Asiwaju Tinubu, who is in the French capital to attend the Global Financing Pact Summit convened by …