UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Olukemi Olufunto Badenoch (née Adegoke), aged 39, as Children and Families Minister, as part of his government reshuffle. Ms Kemi Badenoch is a British Conservative politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Saffron Walden. She was born in Wimbledon, London to Nigerian parents. Her childhood was spent in Lagos and the United States. …

Nigeria is currently undergoing a serious crisis as nomadic Fulani pastoralists seek to establish permanent settlements all over the country by violently dispossessing the original inhabitants of their land through ethnic cleansing. Since 2014, thousands of rural dwellers, especially farmers and their families, have been killed by the rampaging herdsmen, while hundreds of thousands have been driven off their land. …

Colonialism Reparation, a Berlin-based organization, has welcomed the recent UN decision on the continued British occupation of the Chagos Archipelago, a territory that belongs to the African nation of Mauritius. The United Nations General Assembly recently confirmed that the process of decolonisation of Mauritius in 1968 was not lawfully completed, giving the United Kingdom six months to withdraw its colonial …

Rwanda took a big step forward in its quest for industrialisation on Monday when the first “Made in Rwanda” Volkswagen Polo rolled off the assembly line in the Kigali Special Economic Zone. President Paul Kagame, personally graced the “historic moment” and he expressed his delight to see German vehicles produced in his country. He described the event as “a pride …

The Lagos State Government has promised to bring Nigerians in Diaspora from around the world to the state to support capacity in education and youth development and empowerment. This was stated by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA), to the Governor of Lagos State on Diaspora Affairs, Mr Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, while declaring open a 2-day teachers training programme for teachers in …

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers, is offering fully-funded postgraduate placements for Developing Countries. These programs are open to pursuing a postgraduate degree program at German institutions of Higher education. With its development-oriented postgraduate study programs, DAAD Development promotes the training of specialists of new industrial countries. Benefits …

Nigerian government praises its citizens living in the diaspora for the money they regularly send home, which in 2018 amounted to US$25 billion. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, however, would like Nigerians abroad to still do more as the Secretary to the Federal Government throws new challenges at them at the National Diaspora Day in Abuja. The Secretary to …

The 10th Economic Forum of the Pan-African Women’s Day will take place on Friday, 26 July at the Chamber of Commerce (IHK) in Potsdam, Germany. The event, organised by the Pan African Women’s Empowerment & Liberation Organisation (PAWLO)-Germany, will focus on the achievements of the struggle for African Women’s empowerment. Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, the newly-elected Member of the European Parliament, …

The Federal Government has set aside July 25 of every year as National Diaspora Day in recognition of the contributions of Nigerians living outside the country towards homeland development. This was disclosed in Abuja on Tuesday by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). The Media Coordinator of the Commission, Abdul-rahman Balogun, in a statement, explained that NIDCOM was hosting the …

The African Network of Germany (TANG) has opened a new office in Dortmund. The organisation implements projects to support its objectives, among which is the promotion of the integration of Africans in German society. TANG, founded in 2013, also facilitates the engagement of diaspora Africans in the development of their countries of origin. The Dortmund office, which formally opened for …

The Nigerian government has agreed to a deal with the German energy company in an attempt to fix the country’s unreliable electricity grid. But will the agreement bring succour to Nigerians who have been suffering under inadequate power supply for decades? Ineke Mules of DW (Deutsche Welle) reports Nigeria has signed a six-year power deal with German energy giant Siemens, which …

Algeria scored early to beat Senegal to lift their second African Cup of Nations at the grand final of the continental football festival. Baghdad Bounedjah’s early goal propelled Algeria to a first Africa Cup of Nations title in 29 years after a fiery 1-0 victory over Sadio Mane’s Senegal in Friday’s (July 20) final in Cairo. Bounedjah gave Algeria a …

A two-meter-high tablet reminding of German colonial history has been unveiled in Berlin on Monday. The memorial plaque, situated in the Wilhelmstraße in the Central District of the city, commemorates the “Dibobe-Petition”. A petition, submitted by Cameroon-born Martin Quane a Dibobe to the Imperial Ministry of the Colonies in June 1919, which is considered one of the most important documents …

A celebration of Nigerian cultural wealth was held in two of Germany’s biggest cities last Saturday (22 July). In Berlin, Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, HE Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, hosted German officials, members of the diplomatic corps and other guests at the 1st Annual Nigerian Cultural Day. The event featured speeches, an art exhibition, a fashion show, a literary fair and …

According to a newly-published survey by Transparency International, most Africans think corruption is getting worse in their countries. The Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – Africa, released by the Berlin-based anti-corruption organisation, reveals that 53 per cent of citizens surveyed in 35 African countries think corruption is getting worse while 23 per cent say the problem is getting better. More than …

The annual season of African music and culture in Germany is in full swing. Here are the Top Festivals you don’t want to miss before summer ends:

Sea-Watch rescue ship’s captain, Carola Rackete, has expressed the hope that the new EU commission would work to let boat-rescued migrants enter Europe. Rackete, who is under investigation in Italy for docking her boat in the Italian port of Lampedusa without permission in early July, said: “I sincerely hope that the European Commission now, after the new election of the …

Many organisations and individuals working on African issues presented their work to the public at the Fair for Bridge Builders (Messe der Brückenbauer), part of the activities celebrating the Kenako Afrika-Festival in Berlin (3-14 July). The fair is a platform for committed people from Germany and the African diaspora to exhibit their projects for the development of Africa and present …

Germany’s defence minister, Dr Ursula von der Leyen, secured a narrow majority win in the European Parliament on Tuesday to replace incumbent Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission. She received 383 out of 747 possible votes, just nine more than the minimum for her election. Ms von der Leyen will be the first German to lead the EU …

German football enthusiast Maximilian Lütgens, reporting exclusively for The African Courier, writes on his trip to Egypt to watch this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, revealing not only the actions in the stadiums but also the thrill outside of them at the continental football fiesta. Enjoy! From 25 June to 2 July, I travelled to Egypt for a week of …