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 …

Deutschlandstiftung Integration is promoting an open Germany with its campaign #AuchichbinDeutschland (literally: I am Germany too). The initiative aims to show that many people are not seen as Germans because they look “different” or have “unusual names” – although they were born and grew up in Germany. The campaign uses testimonials, in which people talk about everyday racism and their …

Cameroonian political scientist and author Achille Mbembe has received the prestigious “Geschwister Scholl-Preis” 2015 for the German edition of his latest book ‘Critique de la raison nègre’. His book reflects the history of globalisation and deals with capitalism, colonialism and racism. One of the central conclusions is that capitalism does not only move goods around the world but also humans, …

German President Joachim Gauck’s visit to Nigeria in February to intensify bilateral relations between both nations especially in economic and security matters, according to analysts. The 4-day tour from 8-13 February, which took Gauck to the federal capital Abuja and the economic hub Lagos, saw the German president meeting political and business leaders to discuss areas of common interests. In …

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 …

You are active in a project with connection to Africa, either in Germany or in an African country? Would you like to present your work to a great audience? And at the same time have the chance to win a flight ticket to Africa? Then you are perfectly right at the Bridgebuilder’s Fair 2016!  The Bridgebuilder’s Fair takes place every …

[Glitterbeat GB 007] With their third album, Tamikrest consolidate their “Tuareg rock” style. Band leader Ousmana Ag Mossa grew up listening to rap, metal and Western pop music and since their first album in 2008, he and his seven-strong guitar outfit deliver a rock’n’roll package that finds audiences even outside the world music scene that has adopted the older and …

 Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Maria Böhmer, recently met the female Ambassadors from Africa in Berlin to discuss topical foreign policy issues. The get-together at Villa Borsig initially focused on the growing threat posed by terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State, Boko Haram and Al Shabab, as well as flight and migration, the role of women …