The leading pan-African banking group Ecobank has won the Award for Innovation in Financial Services at the 2020 edition of the prestigious African Banker magazine Awards. The Awards, which reward banking excellence in Africa, were announced at a virtual ceremony held on 26 August. The African Banker’s judging process sought to recognise the African banks that have demonstrated original and …

Perhaps no other phrase uttered during Angela Merkel's long chancellorship has made such an impact. The words "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do it") were meant to express confidence in the face of a huge, self-imposed task. How has Germany and those who came to seek asylum in the country managed since then?

The government of the Canadian Province of Alberta has appointed Nigerian-born Kaycee Madu as the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General of the province. Canada has ten provinces. Premier Jason Kenney on Tuesday elevated Madu to the justice portfolio from Municipal Affairs in a cabinet shuffle. Kenney said the appointment of Madu makes a powerful statement at a time when …

President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has been reelected to a second 5-year term by the Board of Governors of the international financial institution. The election took place at the bank’s annual general meeting held via video conferencing on Thursday. Adesina was the first AfDB president to be re-elected with 100% votes of both African and …

The Nigerian civil aviation authorities have postponed the resumption of international flights to 5 September. The earlier date for the restart of international operations at the country’s airports had been 29 August. Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, revealed the news during a Presidential Task Force COVID-19 briefing in Abuja on Thursday. He said while …

The renaming of streets in Berlin should be made easier if the name heroicises or trivialises colonial injustice. That is the objective of a draft resolution submitted by Regine Günther to the Senate of Berlin, the executive body governing the city that is also a federal state, on 18 August. According to the resolution, the Berlin street law is to …

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has called on Nigerian parents to stop sending their children to study in Northern Cyprus. She made the call in Abuja on Monday while speaking on the sudden death of a 25-year-old Nigerian student in Northern Cyprus, Mr Ibrahim Khaleel Bello, and others who had died in similar mysterious circumstances in …

No matter how we throw it around, the coup in Mali represents a monumental setback to us as a people. If care is not taken, the initial euphoria might easily turn into a poisoned chalice. Military saviours have a long history of turning into vicious albatrosses!

Ecobank Group, the pan-African banking giant, on Thursday announced the winners of its Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2020 after an exciting virtual event streamed live from Accra, Ghana. Nokwary Technologies, edged out the rest of the finalists to emerge winner of the competition. The first and second runner up spots were taken by Ukheshe Payment and Solutions Growth Factor Technologies respectively. …

The Jack Ma Foundation’s search for Africa’s Business Heroes continues, with the top 20 finalists revealed on 19 August – representing over 50% female candidates, 11 key sectors and 14 countries: the twenty finalists have impressed the judges with their vision and entrepreneurial prowess, and are ready to progress to the semi-finale stage of the competition, for a chance to …

"In addition to individual spectacular outbreaks that have become known nationwide, there are transmissions in the family and domestic environment that do not necessarily lead to many secondary cases and only show a few cases per outbreak, but apparently occur very frequently"

In what could be described as a major victory for the Black community’s long struggle for the renaming of streets bearing names derogatory or disrespectful of Africans in the federal capital, the District Assembly (Bezirksversammlung) of Berlin-Mitte has approved the name change of the Mohrenstrasse (Moor Street). On Thursday evening, the assembly decided to rename Mohrenstrasse. In the future, the …

When Nigerian airports resume international operations on 29 August, flights from EU countries would not be allowed. The decision was announced on Thursday in Abuja by the country’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika. According to him, Nigeria is enforcing the principle of reciprocity in granting permission to airlines to resume operations in the country. This means that countries that ban …

Hundreds of participants will gather on 22-23 August in the German city of Cologne to take part in activities marking the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) marked the beginning of the uprising that would play a …

  A diplomatic row is brewing between Ghana and Nigeria, both members of the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS ), on a Ghanaian law that requires foreign retailers to invest at least $1 million if they want to do business in the country. Femi Akomolafe, book author and newspaper columnist, comments on the lingering harassment of Nigerian …

Kaspersky analysis has revealed that phishing attacks are becoming increasingly more targeted. A number of new tricks have also been found - from HR dismissal emails to attacks disguised as delivery notifications.

A Nigerian international media entrepreneur has described as unfair the treatment being meted out to Nigerian retail traders in Ghana. In a press statement issued on Wednesday (19 August), Chief Dele Momodu, Chairman of Ovation Media Group, said the forced closure of some shops owned by Nigerians in Accra violates the spirit of pan-Africanism. “I note with sadness the viral …

The African Union has condemned the military take-over of power in Mali. Rebel soldiers arrested Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse on Tuesday afternoon following weeks of political tension in the country. A statement issued by the body on Tuesday said, “The President of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat strongly condemns the arrest of …

Following Abia State Government's approval of a parcel of land to be set aside for investment and development by Diasporans of Abia origin for which the Diasporan community will also have the responsibility to..

Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara (78) has finally confirmed he’ll seek a third term in office in October. Within days of this, Guinea’s ruling party asked President Alpha Condé (82) to seek a third term. The actions signal that Africa is a long way from burying the ugly era of presidents for life. The period, which followed immediately after independence and …