Just a day after activists prevented a plane carrying dozens of Ghanaian and Nigerian would-be expellees from taking off at London’s Stansted Airport, 23 Nigerians were deported from the United Kingdom on Friday. The all male deportees, who were sent back to their home country for various immigration offences, arrived at the Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about …

  Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor of Pan-African News Wire, pays tribute to the politician, former political prisoner and anti-apartheid activist, who died on 28 March. “Kathy”, as he was popularly known, was elected to parliament in 1994  but declined to seek re-election five years later. He wrote an open letter to President Jacob Zuma, suggesting that perhaps he should step down …

Mauritians are the wealthiest individuals in Africa with an average wealth of US$25,700 per person, whilst people living in Zimbabwe are the poorest with US$200 per person. Interestingly, This was revealed in the just-published ‘AfrAsia Bank Africa Wealth Report 2017‘. Note: “wealth per capita” refers to the average wealth of a person living in each country. It excludes government held …

As from 1 April, some changes, ranging from the introduction of a new €50 banknote to additional regulations of temporary work, will enter into effect in Germany. And learners have to prepare for a more difficult driving license test!  —————————- New Restrictions for Temporary Agency Work From 1 April 2017, several changes to the German Law on Temporary Work (Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz …

An epic story, based on true events, about two people who loved each other so deeply, they risked losing everything to be together—their families, homes, even their countries opens in German cinema today. Vivian Asamoah reports. A UNITED KINGDOM tells the inspiring true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London native he …

Speaker after speaker talked about the immense potential for greater German-African trade at the first Germany-Africa Business Forum (GABF) in Berlin recently. The event, which brought together entrepreneurs, CEOs, key opinion leaders and politicians, featured presentations on the challenges and prospects for doing business in Africa. In his keynote speech, former President Thomas Boni Boyi of the Republic of Benin …

It was drama at the Stansted airport in London on Tuesday as activists prevented the mass deportation of Nigerians and Ghanaians. The activists, working under the name Stop Charter Flights – End Deportations, blocked the runway of the Stansted airport carrying banners and chanting songs condemning deportations. A video recording showed some of them were under the wing of a …

In a bid to make travelling to the country easier and attract foreign investors, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has launched an online Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) system. Visa on Arrival is a class of short visit visa issued at the port of entry. The new immigration service allows for visa applications without having to visit a Nigerian mission and can be …

Runway repairs at Nigeria’s Abuja Airport are now expected to last a further 18 weeks after it reopens on 19 April, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced. The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Nigeria’s capital has been closed since 8 March for extensive repairs to its runway. Flights are currently using Kaduna Airport while Abuja is closed, …

In the late 19th century, an estimated one in seven Europeans was dying of tuberculosis, then known as ‘consumption’ for its slow, remorseless wasting of the human body. Now, after decades of low TB rates thanks to antibiotics and strong public health systems, the continent is threatened by a new and different form of the lung disease — one which …

Britain formally launched the process for leaving the European Union today, nine months after the island nation voted to leave the EU. Britain became the first country ever to seek a divorce, striking a blow at the heart of the union forged from the ashes of World War II. Just days after the Union’s 60th birthday, Britain handed over a …

Netherlands-based journalist and publisher Iwa Adetunji* writes on how businessmen and women are silently driving development in Africa. As gloomy as it may seem here and there, Africa is indeed rising. Africa is rising not because its governments have suddenly woken up from their slumber. It is rising not because the benefits accruing from its vast natural resources are now …

The US and UK have issued directives to stop passengers from taking personal electronic devices in carry-on bags on flights from some countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive on 21 March which applies to ten airports and nine airlines. Passengers flying to the US from these airports will …

Germany’s Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) party won Saarland’s state election on Sunday, with 40.7 percent, far ahead of the Social-Democratic Party (SPD), with 29.6 percent. The closely-watched election in the small, western state, which was the first since Martin Schulz became SDP leader, was seen as a test for him and CDU’s Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the September general elections. …

The EU 27 leaders recommitted their vows to European integration in Rome on Saturday (25 March) amid warnings that the bloc’s unity remains fragile. The heads of state and government met in the same Renaissance-era palace where the six founding countries signed the Treaty of Rome on 25 March 1957, to establish the European Economic Community and the European Atomic …

  Gambia said on Thursday it would set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and offer reparations to victims of former President Yahya Jammeh’s government, which is accused of the torture and killing of perceived opponents. Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said in a statement the government will also probe the finances of Jammeh, who fled into exile in January to …

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his Senegalese counterpart President Macky Sall, were at the Africa CEO Forum 2017 in Geneva where they discussed how Africa’s sub-regions can work more closely together in a world where demands for economic nationalism and protectionism are on the rise. Switzerland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Johann Schneider-Ammann, gave …

  Zimbabwean opposition parties have demanded that presidential election next year be conducted by a committee set up by the United Nations and African Union because they had lost confidence in the neutrality of the local election agency. President Robert Mugabe, 94, who has been in power for 30 years, is due to run again. Leaders from several political parties, including …

Elections present a milestone beyond which countries either strengthen their democratic credentials or become failed states. Often states fail when there are either perceived or blatant election malpractices. This in turn can lead to prolonged civil unrest. Numerous cases exist across the continent. John Walubengo, a lecturer at the Multimedia University of Kenya, uses the Kenyan case to illustrate how election processes …

The World Economic Forum has launched its second annual search to identify Africa’s next generation of top female technology innovators and entrepreneurs. The top five entrepreneurs selected by the Forum’s judging panel will be invited to participate in the World Economic Forum on Africa on 3-5 May in Durban, South Africa. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural search, the …