Income inequality is reversed when Africans migrate to Europe, according to a new UN study about the reasons for moving. Although much higher earnings are a factor, intolerance at home often cements the decision. Nik Martin reports. African women earn, on average, 11% more than African men when they migrate to Europe, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) study published …
Read More »German authorities to expand crackdown on right-wing extremists
In the latest right-wing act of violence that has roiled the country, a gunman attacked a synagogue on 9 October in the eastern city of Halle. Unable to enter the Jewish worshiping house, he shot and killed two people on the street. German security officials want more authority to target and prevent far-right violence. Among the proposals on the table …
Read More »The risks of working illegally in Germany – SPECIAL REPORT
Getting work in Germany can be difficult, especially for migrants. Many end up working illegally, but if they are caught, the penalty can be as severe as prison or deportation. Marion MacGregor/InfoMigrants reports Krasimir has been living in Germany for two years with no fixed address or regular job. He often sleeps in an old van in a junkyard in …
Read More »EU unemployment drops to lowest level in nearly 20 years — Eurostat
The unemployment rate in the European Union has dropped to its lowest level in more than 19 years, Eurostat has announced. According to the EU’s official statistics agency, unemployment in the bloc stood at 6.2% in August, down from 6.3% the month before and from 6.7% in August 2018. That amounts to more than 15.4 million men and women out …
Read More »New association of Kenyan women in Germany launches
Jacklyne Achieng Kuhn started the group to offer Kenyan women a platform where they can support, interact and uplift each other.
Read More »No-deal Brexit would ‘push UK debt to 50-year high’
As the 31 October deadline for reaching a deal between the EU and UK approaches, analysts and stakeholders are now calculating the likely costs of a no-deal arbitrary exit of the UK from the bloc. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a British think tank, a no-deal Brexit would push the UK to its highest debt-level since the 1960s, …
Read More »Karamba Diaby talks about his unusual road to German parliament
The only MP of African origin was reelected in 2019 to represent the eastern city of Halle in the Bundestag.
Read More »Nigerians in Germany, friends bid solemn farewell to Dr Daniel Kutchin
Members of the Nigerian community, associates and friends gathered on 2 October, at the main cemetery in the German city of Mönchengladbach, to bid the final farewell to Dr Daniel Yakubu Kutchin. The Nigerian scholar, IT expert and development activist died on 7 August at the age of 57. A brief Christian funeral service preceded the interment of the …
Read More »Nigerians converge in Dublin for Diaspora Conference 2019
Organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) and hosted by its Ireland chapter, the event will discuss issues of concern to Nigerians abroad as well as those surrounding the Diaspora role in national development.
Read More »Germany: Changes in laws and regulations from October 2019
At the beginning of each month, a number of new laws and regulations enter into force in Germany. In October 2019, the clocks will be switched to winter time, low-income households in Berlin get a higher rent subsidy, vehicles can now be registered online without visiting the registration office etc. The African Courier reveals the most important changes for consumers. …
Read More »Nigerian Diaspora Germany holds funeral for Dr. Daniel Kutchin
The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDOG) has announced the funeral arrangement for the late Dr Daniel Yakubu Kutchin, who was found dead in his apartment in the German city of Mönchengladbach on 7 August. The body of the Nigerian nuclear physicist and IT expert will be laid to rest in Mönchengladbach on 2 October, NIDOG announced on Monday. In …
Read More »Migrant youths have poor training opportunities in Germany – new report
In Germany, the number of open apprenticeships is growing, along with an increasing number of unsuccessful applicants. Experts call for regionally coordinated solutions. The number of young people starting vocational training has risen again in Germany like in recent years. However, despite this positive development, companies and young people seeking training are not finding one another, according to the Bertelsmann …
Read More »More and more people going to food banks in Germany
Food banks (Tafel) are non-profit organizations that collect food mostly from supermarkets, distributors and farmers, which would otherwise be destroyed, and distribute to the needy for free.
Read More »Protest march in London against xenophobic killings in South Africa
Nigerians and other Africans living in the United Kingdom will march to the embassies of Nigeria and South Africa in London on Saturday (14 September) to express their displeasure over the xenophobic killings in South Africa. The protesters will ask both governments to act decisively to stop the incessant killing of foreign residents from other African countries living in South …
Read More »Foreign students can now work in UK after graduation — Boris Johnson
The British Government has announced that international students will henceforth be able to stay and work in the UK after graduating. This is a huge boost to a policy that had previously restricted the period to four months. There will be no cap on the number of students who can apply, as those with student visa will be able to …
Read More »Soyinka criticizes UK over Brexit as Boris Johnson loses key vote in parliament
As British politics grapples with how to handle Brexit, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson against going ahead with his decision to suspend – or prorogue – parliament. Going forward with the controversial plan, an attempt to stop MPs from preventing the UK from leaving the European Union without a deal, would be setting a bad …
Read More »Nigerians in Germany speak out on situation in home country
Some Nigerians in Germany have faulted the method employed by Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist, in his call for a revolution against the Nigerian government. Speaking in a video interview with Samson Itondo of Afrobizgermany, the commentators said Sowore’s revolution call could have a partisan political undertone, having lost his bid to become the country’s president at the 2019 …
Read More »Aminata Touré elected Vice President of Schleswig-Holstein parliament
Aminata Touré was on Wednesday (28 August) elected the new Vice-President of the state parliament (Landtag) of Schleswig-Holstein. She received 46 of the 69 valid votes cast. Schleswig-Holstein is one of the 16 states of Germany and its capital city is Kiel. The 26-year-old Green party member, who is the second youngest member of parliament, said she was “fully relieved …
Read More »Convicted immigrants increasingly deported by Germany – report
Resident foreigners convicted by German courts are increasingly being expelled from the country irrespective of their residency status. This was revealed in the response of the federal government to a parliamentary enquiry of the Linke party in the Bundestag, the news agency epd has reported. According to the report, 7,408 deportation orders were issued last year. In 2017, there were …
Read More »Nigeria begins registration of its citizens in Germany
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has kicked off the registration of Nigerians resident in Germany. The exercise, being carried out in collaboration with private data management companies, enrols Nigerians, including those living in the diaspora, in the country’s National Identity Database. A registered person is issued a National Identification Number (NIN), a unique set of eleven-digit number. Kicking off …
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