Germany

African Mums in Deutschland wins Facebook Accelerator Program

African Mums in Deutschland, a support group for African women in Germany founded by Maame Adwoa Dentaa Amoo, has been announced as one of the winners of the 2021 Facebook Community Accelerator Program. The Community Accelerator is part of Facebook’s Community Leadership Program, a global initiative that invests in people building online communities. The Program helps leaders harness the power …

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Germany: African shot dead by police in refugee hostel

A 40-year-old asylum-seeker from Sudan has been shot dead by the police in a shelter for refugees and asylum-seekers in Lower Saxony, the news agency AFP has reported. Police officers were said to have shot the man on Sunday evening when he allegedly attacked them with a knife during an operation in the asylum-seeker accommodation in Harsefeld, Lower Saxony, AFP …

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Germany: New laws and regulations in October 2021

New month, new laws! New laws and administrative regulations enter into effect in October. Among these are those related to the coronavirus pandemic as well as those affecting motorists, debtors, taxpayers and doctor’s prescriptions. ——- Unvaccinated persons to pay for tests In places where the 3G rule applies, only persons who have been vaccinated or have recovered from an infection …

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Germany: Nigerian activist cries out over deportation of Nigerians

A member of the Nigerian community in Hamburg, Mrs Ngozi Utoh-Samuel, has called on the German authorities to temper justice with mercy on the situation of Nigerians whose asylum applications have been rejected. The civil society activist, who is the founder of Positive Life Global Empowerment (PLGE) e.V., took to her Facebook page on Tuesday to address the issue of …

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Germany: Meet the four Afro-Germans elected into the Bundestag

The new German federal parliament is more diverse than ever. For the first time, there are four Afro-German members in the Bundestag, as well as more women, younger people and people with a migration background. Three of the Afro-German politicians won direct mandates, which means they won the highest number of votes cast in their constituencies. “Four Afro-Germans in the …

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First Black woman elected into German parliament

Awet Tesfaiesus has become the first Black woman to be elected into the German parliament. The 47-year-old lawyer achieved the feat on Sunday when she was elected on the platform of the Green Party to represent the state of Hesse. The Eritrean-born politician has been the spokesperson for integration and equality for the Green parliamentary group in the Kassel city …

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Karamba Diaby reelected into German parliament

Dr Karamba Diaby, representing the eastern German constituency of Halle (Saxony-Anhalt), has won his third election into the German parliament (Bundestag). The Senegalese-born member of the SPD, who won a direct mandate on Sunday, took to social media to thank his supporters for the resounding victory. “What an evening! “I am still overwhelmed by the great trust that the people …

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SPD wins German election, CDU candidate claims victory too

After a tightly fought race, the Social Democrats emerged winners at Germany’s general election on Sunday. According to preliminary results, the SPD finished the strongest party, closely followed by the CDU/CSU. The Greens are in third place, followed by the FDP and AfD. The Left Party plunged to below five per cent. The SPD won 25.7 per cent of the …

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Why voters with migrant background could decide Germany’s general election – Study

Voters in Germany will elect a new federal parliament, the Bundestag, on Sunday, 26 September. 60.4 million people are entitled to vote. An estimated twelve percent of them, about 7.4 million people, have a migration background. A new study shows why this minority group could decide the winner of the election even though their issues hardly play a role in …

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Germany: Processing of Nigerian passport resumes at Frankfurt consulate

The General Consulate of Nigeria in Frankfurt has announced its resumption of processing of passport. In a press release published on its website, the consulate said: “This is to notify all passport applicants that processing of passport has resumed at the Consulate General of Nigeria in Frankfurt.Applicants are requested to send all required application documents via Email: nis.frankfurt@gmail.com.Appointment date and …

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German Africa Award 2021 goes to Ethiopian rights activist

German Africa Prize 2021 has been awarded to Ethiopian human rights activist Daniel Bekele. The Prize is awarded annually by the German Africa Foundation (Deutsche Afrika Stiftung e.V. or DAS) to “outstanding individuals for their long-standing endeavours to foster democracy, peace, human rights, art, culture, the social market economy and social concerns” in Africa. An independent 24-member jury of experts …

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“We are a country with a migration background” — German president

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has praised the families of Turkish immigrants as an important part of Germany. A Germany without the so-called guest workers, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren would be “simply inconceivable” today, Steinmeier said on Friday at an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement in Berlin. They and immigrants from other countries had contributed …

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Germany: Why I prefer Olaf Scholz for Chancellor by Kenneth Gbandi

As the campaign for Germany’s general election on 26 September hots up, a leader in the Nigerian community in Germany has spoken out in support of Olaf Scholz, the chancellor candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). In an interview with the Africa Service of German international broadcaster DW, Kenneth Gbandi, a former president of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany, …

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Gambia rejects deportation flights from Europe

The Gambia has formally announced that it would no longer accept flights bringing its citizens deported from the European Union, the AFP reports. Gambian foreign ministry spokesman Saikou Ceesay told the news agency that large numbers of returning migrants would cause “social upheaval” in the country. “We are trying to consolidate the peace, stability and democracy we have in this …

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Germany: New laws and regulations from September 2021

New laws and administrative regulations enter into effect in September. Among these are those affecting the national identity card, registration for unemployment, parental allowance, energy-saving lamps and a tool to help you make the right choice at the coming general election. The African Courier summarises what will be important for you to know. ———— Identity card (Personalausweis) on the smartphone: …

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Explainer: How the German general election works

Germans head to the polls on 26 September to vote in an election that will determine the successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel. DW breaks down the Bundestag election process. Germany has a notoriously complex voting system for electing its Bundestag — the lower house of parliament. The system seeks to combine the benefits of both direct and proportional representation while guarding …

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African leaders praise Merkel’s support for continent

Many African heads of state saw off German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Compact with Africa summit in Berlin. Merkel once more underlined Africa’s potential — and what needs to be done to use it. DW’s Silja Fröhlich, Bob Barry, Saleh Mwanamilongo and Wendy Bashi report ————– It was a moment of goodbye: At the conclusion of the Compact with …

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