LIVING IN GERMANY

The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Nigeria in October to further strengthen economic ties between both nations, Nigerian presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, has announced. Ngelale explained that the visit was agreed on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in New Delhi, India, where President Bola Tinubu and the German leader met. “Thank you for this important discussion, Mr. President. …

The urban landscape in Germany is changing as the number of people with foreign origin increases. A new report published by the Statistics Office North shows that the proportion of Hamburg residents with an immigrant background rose to 39.3 percent as of 31 December 2022. Compared to the previous year, the share of migrants increased by almost two percentage points. …

The governing federal coalition has passed a bill to reform Germany’s citizenship law. The bill, which was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, provides for the simplification of naturalisation. On the other hand, the government wants to make it more difficult for persons who cannot support themselves or who have already committed criminal offences in Germany to naturalise. Among the …

Like almost every month, August 2023 also brings some important changes for people living in Germany. In addition to new laws, there will be a number of changes will come into force. These include an increase in the minimum wage in the cash-in-transit industry, the introduction of an innovative apprenticeship and the deadline for filing the 2021 tax return. Here …

The Berlin-based Gambian journalist and activist Nyima Jadama has been honoured for her engagement against racism and for the empowerment of African migrants. She received this year’s Silvio-Meier-Preis (Silvio Meier Prize), awarded by the Berlin district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg to people who work against racism and discrimination, on Thursday (13 July) at a ceremony in the federal capital city. Ms Jadama, …

In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi, CEO of Gosab Care GmbH, explains the opportunities for self-employment in the care sector in Germany for Africans and how you can easily get started in the business. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur runs three companies – Gosab Personalmanagement und Consulting, Gosab Care GmbH and Gosabflex GmbH, from Cologne with branches …

ANNOUNCEMENT Join us for the 1st African-German Doctoral Summer School from 4th September – 9th September 2023 in Hamburg! The interdisciplinary Doctoral Summer School aims to facilitate academic and social exchange that supports participants’ current research, enhances their sociocultural integration and prepares them for further careers. Who can apply?Doctoral candidates, students and early-stage post-docs with an African or migration background …

The 3rd edition of the Conference of African PhDs in Germany (#CAPiG) will take place from 4 to 9 September 2023. This year’s Conference will be held as a hybrid event – with an online component (4 – 7 September 2023) complementing the face-to-face meeting in Hamburg, Germany (9 September 2023) . CAPiG was conceived to bring together African intellectuals …

Providing nursing care to the people in need of it is the most promising business an African can go into in Germany. That is the view of Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi. And when the Nigerian-born entrepreneur talks he should be listened to. For he is the founder and CEO of the Gosab Group of Companies, a Cologne-based provider of nursing care …

ANNOUNCEMENT Diversity in Focus – Fostering the Integration of the African Diaspora in Cologne Dear African Professionals in Germany members and future members, We are thrilled to invite you to an exciting event titled “Diversity in Focus – Fostering the Integration of the African Diaspora in Cologne”, an event organized in conjunction with the city of Cologne. Join us for …

Like almost every month, July 2023 also brings some important changes for people living in Germany. This is because new laws and regulations will come into force which may have an impact on your everyday life. Here are the major changes that will enter into effect in the new month: —— Abolition of the Maestro function on giro cards From …

ANNOUNCEMENT The extraordinary seminar programme offered by the State of Berlin on the topic of start-ups and self-employment for people with a migration background interested in starting a business begins a new round in July! For the past 21 years, the state of Berlin has been strengthening cultural diversity of Berlin’s start-ups and has been running the seminar series “Vielfalt gründet” (formerly: …

Almost one third of the Hessian population has an immigration history, according to the State Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. In 2022, 1.97 million inhabitants of Hesse, one of Germany’s 16 federal states, accounting for 31.3 per cent of all inhabitants have a migration background. As of 31 December 2022, 6.39 million people lived in the state, the largest population since …

Germany’s federal parliament, the Bundestag, has passed a bill to reform the Skilled Workers Immigration Act into law. The MPs of the federal governing coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP voted almost unanimously in favour of the draft law on Friday. The opposition parties, the CDU/CSU and the far-right AfD, voted against the bill while the left-leaning Linke abstained. The …

The German chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) has elected a new executive committee. The election was part of the body’s annual general meeting, which took place virtually on Saturday, 17 June. Dr (Engr) Moses Kolade Ogun was elected with 83% of the votes cast to lead NIDO Germany as President for the next two years. He replaced …

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Germany e.V. will hold its annual general meeting (AGM) virtually on 17 June in Berlin. The event will also feature the election of a new Executive Committee to run the affairs of the group, which is the umbrella body for Nigerians living in Germany, for the next two years. Originally planned as a hybrid …

As a measure against the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze (SPD) wants to focus more on immigration. “In the search for skilled workers, we should pay more attention to developing countries,” Schulze told the Funke Mediengruppe. Many of these countries face the challenge of creating enough jobs for their young, …

Around 168,500 people were granted German citizenship in 2022 – an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden has reported. It’s the highest number of people who applied for and were granted German nationality in a single year in the past two decades. Syrian nationals accounted for the largest share of naturalisations …

There is enough work, but often there is a lack of skilled workers. That is the situation across Germany. The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia, governed by a CDU-Green coalition, has therefore launched a “skilled labour offensive”, as already agreed in their coalition agreement. To combat the shortage of skilled workers, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), one of Germany’s 16 federal states, …

Like almost every month, June 2023 brings some important changes for people living in Germany. Find out here which concrete changes, including new laws, are coming and what you have to prepare for. —— Refunds for rail delays to become more complicatedOn 7 June, a new EU passenger rights regulation will come into force by law. Consumer advocates criticise that …