LIVING IN GERMANY

For the first time, there is now an Independent Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner in Germany. The federal parliament, the Bundestag, elected Ferda Ataman into the office on Friday. Ms Ataman will also be the head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes) as she succeeds Bernhard Franke, who had been the acting as head of the agency in recent years. …

The federal cabinet has approved the draft law of the so-called ‘opportunity for right to remain’ (Chancen-Bleiberecht) for people who have been living in Germany for many years with a ‘tolerated stay permit’ called Duldung in German. The bill, which was okayed on Wednesday, will be submitted to the federal parliament, which still has to discuss it and can make …

Germany should be getting ready for a dramatic shortage of manpower, experts have warned. The Institute of the German Economy (Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, IW) expects a glaring shortage of workers in the German economy in the coming years. By 2031, there would be a total shortage of five million workers, several newspapers reported recently, citing IW forecasts. One of …

The Black Joy Bike Parade took place on 26 June in Berlin. The bicycle demonstration through the German capital city was meant to collectively remind society that the Black community would not let everyday racism take away their joy in life, the organisers said.Miriam, founder of Zewdi, the event’s organisers, writes to participants and indeed the Black community about this …

In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, Godfrey Evurulobi, a graduate of international business from the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, narrates how he started and he talks about the nursing care sector in Germany and why his companies are currently recruiting Africans. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur also talks about his successes and challenges so far, and he gives tips to Africans planning to start a business in the country.

Politicians of African descent from the length and breadth of Germany and of all political colourations will gather in Berlin on Saturday (9 July) for a meet-up with members of the Black community. The event, tagged “The way into the parliaments – networking elected officials of African origin” (Der Weg in die Parlamente – Mandatsträger:innen afrikanischer Herkünfte vernetzen), is a …

At the beginning of the second half of the year, new laws, regulations and other changes that should make life easier for people living in Germany enter into force. Here are the changes in July to know about —- Minimum wage rises again in JulyOn 1 January 2022, the minimum wage in Germany increased from €9.60 to €9.82 and it …

The Green politician Aminata Touré was sworn into office on Wednesday as a Minister in Schleswig-Holstein. The event, which took place in Kiel, is an historic one as Ms Touré thus became the first minister of African origin in Germany. By loading the tweet, you agree to Twitter’s privacy policy.Learn more Load tweet Always unblock Twitter Tweets “What an honour! …

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that he wanted to end all restrictions to multiple nationality in the country’s citizenship law. Speaking at an event to mark the tenth anniversary of the scholarship and mentoring programme GEH DEINEN WEG (Go your way) of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration (German Foundation for Integration) in Berlin on Monday, he said 50 per cent of naturalisations …

A bicycle demonstration to fight for better representation and recognition of the existence of Black people as a relevant part of German society will take place on 26 June in Berlin. Along Berlin’s main landmarks, the organisers Zewdi wants to mobilize the Black community together for a bicycle demonstration to create visibility of people of African descent in public spaces …

Since 1 June, you can travel on public transport and regional trains throughout Germany for nine euros a month. However, the ticket is not valid on all regional trains. And if you use the 9-euro ticket on a means of transport for which the ticket is not valid, you are considered a fare dodger. You will then be fined 60 …

About 131,600 foreigners became naturalised German citizens in 2021, according to a new report by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The figure represents an increase of roughly 21,700 naturalisations, or 20%, compared with the previous year. More than half of the increase is attributable to the large number of naturalisations of Syrians; 19,100 Syrian citizens were naturalised in 2021, which …

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, more than 600,000 Ukrainians and people of other nationalities resident in the country have entered Germany to seek refuge. Among the refugees are Africans, most of whom are students. Africans fleeing the war have been reportedly discriminated against while crossing the country’s borders into safety. Beyond their unsavoury …

Building strong associations is a major challenge to self-organisation in the African community in Europe. There’re many groups but they’re not working together and therefore unable to fulfil their primary mission of empowering their communities. A new association in Germany wants to change all that. African-German Association (AGA) e.V. is bringing a new approach to building a strong community. It …

The federal government plans to reform the country’s migration laws. Among the features of the reform is the grant under certain conditions of regular residence permit to well-integrated asylum-seekers who have been living in Germany for more than five years with a so-called ‘tolerated stay permit’ (Duldung). A total of up to 105,000 people, whose deportation has been repeatedly suspended …

Excellent news for all workers in Germany. The federal parliament, the Bundestag, on Friday passed a bill raising minimum wage from 8.82 euros to 9.82 euros per hour from 1 July and to 12 euros on 1 October. The increase will affect 6.2 million people, out of an active working population of 45.2 million people. The bill was passed by …

The Consul General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Frankfurt, Mr Wahab Akande, has pledged that passports would henceforth be issued six to eight weeks after the biometric data capturing of the applicants. The envoy made the pledge when he received a joint delegation of the Nigerian Community Germany (NCG) e.V. and the Concerned Nigerians Germany (CNG) e.V. on …

The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, will meet indigenes of Edo State living in Germany virtually and physically on Saturday, 4 June. The physical meeting will take place at the Mercure Hotel in Berlin. Governor Obaseki will interact with citizens of his state on issues of common concern. Many Edo indigenes in the diaspora have concrete suggestions on …

Afro-German activist Katharina Oguntoye has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz). The Order, colloquially known as the Federal Cross of Merit, is awarded to German and foreign citizens for political, social-economic and intellectual achievements as well as for serving the Federal Republic of Germany, such as through social engagement. Oguntoye (63) was presented …

A new month is here and we have put together some of the changes you should know about if you live in Germany. On the one hand, the first measures in the 2022 relief package to cushion the effect of rising energy costs enter into effect on 1 June. And there are also other important new regulations and laws. Here …