Special

Two companies have recently commenced groupage container service to Nigeria from Germany. Groupage means the consolidation of several small shipments into a single container. Eze Shipping Service in Hanover and Vin Kem Shipping in Frankfurt/Main said they introduced the service in response to demand from their customers who would like to regularly send small consignment of goods to Nigeria. It …

The Western media’s picture of Africa is characterised by two extremes: usually depicted are either the very poor masses who cannot feed themselves and who are all allegedly knocking on the door of Fortress Europe or the very rich who make their money at the expense of those poor people. The middle segment of society, however, is ignored in foreign …

The Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland (Initiative of Black People in Germany or ISD Bund e.V.) marked the 30th anniversary of its founding early this year. The ISD is the first and the most important group formed by the African diaspora in this country since 1945 for the promotion of its interests. Although Blacks have not attained the level of …

In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, Sebastian Kester talks about his company, which is the only African-owned aviation company in Europe, and the opportunities and challenges in African aviation, among other issues.

In 2010, almost 600 million Africans or 57 per cent of the population had no access to any form of electricity. Africa is experiencing rapid economic growth, with estimates showing growth figures for the continent rising from 4.7 per cent in 2013 to 5.2 per cent in 2014. However, if this growth is to be sustained, renewable energy must have …

The recent inaugural Nigeria Manufacturing Expo in Lagos has been hailed as a great success by the event patrons, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, according to organisers Clarion Events. The event, launched in response to the federal government’s commitment to industrialisation and Nigeria’s need to diversify, welcomed more than 2,600 manufacturing experts over three days in March. The top manufacturing …

Dr Daniel Ubani is a constant face at every Nigerian event in Germany. He could be described as a pillar of the community of his countrymen and women in the country.  Dr Ubani actually arrived in Germany in 1966. He studied medicine at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg from 1966-1972. And from1974-1980, he pursued post-graduate studies which culminated in his qualification …

Do what you are good at, says Ha-Joon Chang “Countries can decide their development path. Countries become good at things because they want to excel at making those particular things,” renowned development economist Ha-Joon Chang told an audience on 3 April at the second Annual Adebayo Adedeji Lecture, part of activities marking the 2016 Africa Development Week, which took place …

In 2000, Alberto Adriano, 39, from Mozambique, was brutally killed by drunken neo-Nazis in East Germany, in the city of Dessau.

Cameroon-born visionary entrepreneur introduces innovative immigration security system Bridge Corporation is a Berlin-based leading biometric technology company that has evolved from a traditional visa application-processing company to implementing finger print scanning technology, to employing biometric technology and finally providing consultancy services on security issues related to immigration. In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, the Cameroon-born entrepreneur and the CEO …

The Africa 2016 Forum, which took place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el Sheikh on 20-21 February, has called on African countries to create greater trust and co-operation between governments and the private sector. The Forum, the first international business and investment forum of its kind and that was aimed at strengthening business ties within Africa, also charged …

Zambian Minister:  “The only sector that assuredly alleviates poverty is agriculture. Our focus is to grow this industry that is the future of this country.” Zambia’s premier agricultural trade fair Agritech Expo takes place on14-16 April at the Gart Research Centre, Chisamba. In the run-up to the important event, Spintelligent interviewed the Zambian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, the Honourable …

To boost its export sales, South African wine makers are promoting higher-priced products in European markets. Wine exports fell to 422.7 million litres last year from 525.6 million litres in 2013, according to the Wines of South Africa, the association representing all producers of wine who export their products.  Exports in 2015 are predicted to be on a par with …

Political and business leaders from Germany and Africa will converge on Hamburg on 25-26 April for the 10th German-African Energy Forum. The annual event offers a platform for players in the energy sector for interaction and networking. The Forum features discussions on current topics, projects and opportunities for markets for renewable and conventional energy in Africa. Ministers from nine African …

The 4th World Coffee Conference will take place in Addis Ababa on 6-11 March 2016. The event, organised by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Trade in collaboration with the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), will bring together more than 1,200 participants drawn from the member countries of the global body. The conference will also host the 116th annual conference of the international coffee …

International equipment manufacturers meet Nigerian companies The new government of President Muhammadu Buhari has announced as one of its key policy agendas the promotion of manufacturing in Africa’s most populous country. The major instrument the administration is employing to achieve its professed aim is the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), which is facilitating investment and growth within the sector.  In …

Dayan Kodua’s book “My Black Skin. Schwarz. Erfolgreich. Deutsch” shows that Black success stories abound in all walks of life in Germany. Melanie Scheuenstuhl reviews the pictorial band of 25 personalities – politicians, designers, physicians, artists, chefs, lawyers, policemen and bus drivers, who tell their very personal stories. In the process of growing up, many of us turned to other …

Before Western Union started offering money transfer services to Africa in 1995, the first company to do so, it used to take weeks if not months to find somebody travelling home to take the envelope along. And the brave ones among us who hid money in mails were often unlucky after post office workers in Africa discovered that letters from …

Virginia Wangare Greiner’s life’s journey prepared her for the prominent role she now plays in the debate on integration in Germany. She married a German expatriate, whom she met while he was working in her native Kenya, in 1978 at the early age of 18. The couple later moved to Germany in 1986, a development that challenged the young woman. …

Afro-German literature African Diasporas is a scholarly examination of the Afro-German literature through a comparison with African-American literature and the role it has played in the creation of a Black community in Germany. Literature has been the chief tool of people of African descent in Germany in their efforts to reclaim their African heritage and carve an identity for themselves …