LIVING IN GERMANY

Surprised by details Germans take for granted, some newcomers are shocked by the country’s supermarket culture. Here’s useful advice from Elizabeth Grenier, a self-declared grocery shopping expert from Canada, who learned the hard way. Know your different types of supermarkets The different categories of grocery stores in Germany can be confusing for newcomers. A few chains are actual supermarkets, while …

Last year, about 38,000 migrants from third countries received a residence permit in Germany because of their work experience and skills. Compared to 2009, it’s an increase of more than 50 percent. Most came from India, Bosnia-Herzegovina, USA, Serbia and China. The immigration of skilled workers from non-EU countries to Germany is increasing. Last year, more than twice as many …

For the second year, associations, individuals and companies who sustainably support the African community in Germany or implement aid projects in Africa from Germany have been honoured by MoneyGram, the world’s second largest provider of international money transfer services. The winners of the second edition of the afrika!Community Award, sponsored by MoneyGram, were presented with cheques to support their activities …

Events were held across Germany on Monday (12 November) to mark the centennial anniversary of women’s right to vote. “Today, no one will laugh when a little girl says she wants to be a minister or the German chancellor,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said at an event in Berlin. She however warned against setbacks in women’s rights. The fact Germany has …

Send money to Ghana, your way: Apart from standard transfers in cash or to a bank account, MoneyGram, the world’s second largest provider of international money transfer services, is now offering customers the opportunity to transfer money directly to any mobile wallet in Ghana. Sending Money directly to a mobile phone resolves the age-old problem of transferring money to remote …

Unemployment is at a historic low in Germany, but millions of people aren’t earning enough to pay their bills or adequately heat their homes. The latest EU figures show poverty poses a greater risk to women. Almost one in five people in Germany was threatened by poverty or other forms of social exclusion in 2017, Germany’s Federal Statistics Office has …

“I will not be seeking any political post after my tenure ends,” Angela Merkel told a news conference in Berlin on Monday. After 18 years, Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced her decision to step down as the leader of the governing CDU. Merkel made the announcement on Monday after a meeting of the party’s leadership in Berlin. “This chancellorship is …

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of people dependent on social assistance dropped in 2017 and, in particular, the number of recipients under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act declined sharply. The number of people in Germany who depend on minimum social assistance (Sozialhilfe) has fallen. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden on Friday (20 October), …

The annual African Youth Education Awards (AYEA) took place on Saturday and was attended by more than 400 guests from across Germany. The event, which showcases the success of young people with African background in their educational endeavours, was attended by, among other dignitaries, the Mayor of Hamburg-Mitte, Falko Drossmann, and the ambassadors of Ghana and Nigeria to Germany, H.E …

Thousands rallied in Berlin on Saturday against racism, xenophobia and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in one of the country’s biggest rallies of recent years. Organisers put the turnout at 242,000 people, who came from across Germany. The demonstration followed neo-Nazi anti-immigration protests in several eastern cities during the summer. The protests, organised by a broad alliance of associations, …

A combined low for the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Angela Merkel in voter support has emerged in a new survey. Her conservative sister parties CDU/CSU and coalition partner Social Democrats polled 26 and 15 percent respectively. Up to second place are the Greens. Germany’s regular Deutschlandtrend has charted eroding support for Merkel’s conservatives and especially her Social Democrat (SPD) …

The youth empowerment initiative to promote educational achievement in the African community in Germany holds its annual award ceremony at the premises of the IHK in Hamburg on Saturday, 13 October 2018. The annual African Youth Education (AYE) Awards aim to motivate young people of African origin in Germany to seek excellence in school. The scheme was initiated in 2011 …

According to the latest report of the European statistical agency Eurostat, 16.7 million men and women in the 28 member countries of the EU were unemployed in August 2018. Compared with August 2017, unemployment fell by 1.9 million in the bloc. The lowest unemployment rates in August 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.5 %), Germany and Poland (both …

The coalition partners in the federal government have agreed on new laws that will prioritize education, age and financial security in admitting new migrants to Germany. The laws are based on the Canadian model. Germany’s coalition government announced in the early hours of Tuesday (2 October) that they had agreed on new immigration laws after several months of back and …

Anti-racism demonstrators in Hamburg called for safe migration routes and an end to right-wing extremism. The march comes after the eastern German town of Chemnitz experienced several anti-immigrant protests. Thousands of demonstrators attended a parade against racism in the northern German city of Hamburg on Saturday, police said. The “United against Racism” parade, a collaboration between more than 450 organizations …

Germany’s Social Democratic and Green party are haemorrhaging support from people with migratory backgrounds. The main benefactor is Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Union bloc, but the anti-migrant AfD has also seen gains. David Martin reports from Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc has become the most popular party among German citizens with migratory backgrounds, according to a report published on …

Members of the Black Community from across Germany and Europe will converge on the city of Nuremberg on Saturday (22 September) for the second edition of ‘Night of the African Living Legend Award & Recognition’. Organised by the African German Information Centre (AGIC) Hamburg, the event’s aim is to shine the spotlight on people of African descent in Germany and …

The international money transfer operator MoneyGram is calling on Africans in Germany to introduce themselves in a short video and stand a chance to win a return flight ticket to their home country. We ask Banji Akinyomi, who is the CEO of Image Planet, a modelling agency based in Lagos and active in Africa and Europe, about making a video …

Germany replaced the United States as the country with the best global image in a survey of 50 countries, according to the 2017 Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index. Simon Anholt, founder of the Index, talks about Germany’s image – and the responsibility that it creates. Germany was ranked number 1 in the most recent Nation Brands Index (NBI). What were the reasons …

German schools are short by nearly 40,000 in total, the teachers’ association says. One answer could be permitting people to become educators even if they didn’t begin their careers that way. Nancy Isenson reports. “We haven’t had such a dramatic lack of teachers in Germany in three decades,” Heinz-Peter Meidinger, the president of the DL teachers association, told media days …