President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday, 17th August 2020 commissioned and handed over the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat building to the African Union Commission (AUC) in Accra. This move is a fulfilment of Ghana’s obligation to provide an office as the Headquarters for the AfCFTA Secretariat and an official residence for the Secretary-General. Delivering a speech at the …

Nigeria will resume international flight operations on August 29, the Federal Government has announced. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made the announcement on Monday in Abuja at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. He explained that the process for the resumption of international flights in the country would be similar to that of the domestic flight …

Avatars include hundreds of global sticker packs and integrations with GIF providers and can also be shared across Facebook and Messenger

Things are different this year for well-known reasons. With the AFRIKA FILM TAGE (AFRICA FILM EVENTS), FilmInitiativ e.V. presents a stripped-down version of the traditional African Film Festival Cologne, a sort of cinematic offer from Africa and its Diaspora in the era of Covid-19. From 17 to 24 September, the organisation presents a programme tailored to corona safety guidelines and …

A Germany-based Ghanaian association has expressed its gratitude to the government of President Nana Akufo-Addo for the successful evacuation of Europe-based Ghanaians who were stranded in Ghana. Over 1705 persons, according to a statement issued by Ghanaian Community in Diaspora, have arrived safely in their respective countries in Europe whiles 85 stranded Ghanaians in Germany were also flown back to …

“I want to be sure we are in a position to test every single passenger that arrives in the country to avoid the spread of the virus. The outcome of that exercise will show us the way and determine when we can reopen our border by air”

Indigenes of Abia State living outside Nigeria gathered for the Abia State Diaspora Dialogue 2020 via a video conference on Saturday (15 August) to deliberate on how they could better contribute to the development of the state. The virtual meeting, convened by the Office of the Special Adviser to Governor, Abia State, on Diaspora Matters, featured speakers from around the …

As the Nigerian banking industry witnesses increased regulatory scrutiny due to the impact of COVID-19, bank customers have not been spared from the whims of fraudsters. Access Bank Plc has once again implored customers to be vigilant over rising cases of fraud, urging customers to remain vigilant and beware of the common tricks used by fraudsters to rob them of …

Foreign students coming to Germany this semester whose courses can now be done entirely online will not be eligible for visas because of the pandemic, the government has announced. But there is no cause for alarm for most students. Elliot Douglas reports More than 80,000 foreign students in Germany had left the country by April, with lecture halls and libraries …

  Jose Filomeno dos Santos, the son of Angola’s former president, was on Friday (14 August) sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty on corruption charges, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported. Dos Santos, 42, was charged to court in December over allegations he tried to embezzle up to $1.5 billion (1.3 billion euros) from the country’s sovereign …

The offer of the German government to pay €10 million to Namibia as compensation for the mass murder of its people more than a century ago has been rejected. Namibian President Hage Geingob on Tuesday (11 August) turned down the German financial offer to compensate for the killing of tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people by German colonial …

Over the next 10 years, an additional 10.8 million teachers will be needed. Ensuring high-quality teachers are in classrooms is one of the most strategic investments a country can make to enable all students to develop the skills they will need for work and as citizens of a global world.

Prof. David Monda of the City University of New York argues in this opinion piece why Kamala Harris could be an electoral risk to the chances of Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Joe Biden at the forthcoming American polls —– An old Chinese adage states, “may you live in interesting times”. Ironically, interesting times do not always result in interesting results. …

Standard Chartered and Airtel Africa will work together to co-create new, innovative products aimed at enhancing the accessibility of financial services DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, August 13, 2020/ — Standard Chartered Bank and Airtel Africa have today announced a strategic collaboration to drive financial inclusion across key markets in Africa by providing customers with increased access to mobile financial services. …

In a move that promises to make sending and receiving cash easier, Ecobank has introduced cardless Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). The bank’s Xpress Cash enables users to withdraw cash from ATMs using only a mobile phone. “The solution is seamless, secure and is driven by the use of a code (e-token) by an account holder via the bank’s USSD code …

  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s decision to choose Senator Kamala Harris, an African-American senator, as his running mate for the forthcoming US election has been lauded by former President Barack Obama. Biden served as vice president for eight years under Obama, the first Black US president. Harris (55), the first Black woman on a major presidential ticket in US …

A Berlin-based legal practitioner has warned Nigerians in Germany to be careful when procuring driving licence from their home country. He gave the advice while speaking with The African Courier, revealing that he was presently handling several cases involving fake driving licences from Nigeria which were submitted to the German authorities for recognition.

One of the media stories buzzing in Nigeria since it broke last week is that of a young woman abandoned by her husband because she and their two kids have blue eyes. Risikat Azeez, who lives in the central Nigerian state of Kwara, was dumped by her husband, Abdul-Wasiu Omo-Dada. The PUNCH, a daily newspaper, had reported in an exclusive …

Charles Negy, a professor at the University of Central Florida, caused a storm recently when he claimed that in a Twitter rant that “Black privilege is real”  and that people of African descent complaining of marginalisation in the United States should “stay in school”. A very short open letter to Charles Negy by Vienna-based writer and journalist Sarah Udoh-Grossfurther Dear …

The Federal Government of Nigeria has begun the process of restarting international flights. In a briefing on Thursday by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the PTF National Coordinator, Sani Aliyu, said approvals have been given for aviation authorities to commence the process for the resumption of international flights. Aliyu said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation …