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Berlin witnessed a momentous occasion on the evening of 16 October 2024 as Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the dynamic mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, received the prestigious German Africa Award 2024. The President of the German Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, presented the award at the Allianz Forum, before an audience of about 180 guests, including influential figures from politics, business and civil society. …

The 7th Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) will take place from 5-7 November at the State House Conference Center, Presidential Villa, Abuja. This year’s theme, “Adapting Stability Through Diaspora Investment: Navigating The Path To Prosperity,” reflects the critical role that the Nigerian diaspora plays in shaping the nation’s economic stability and future development. The NDIS is convened by Nigerians in …

A new Change.org campaign, initiated by Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, wife of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is gaining momentum. The petition is directed to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Attorney General Richard Kermer Q.C., urging them to use diplomatic and economic means to secure Kanu’s immediate release from Nigerian detention. Kanu, …

Media coverage of Africa has always been dominated by narratives of disease, poverty, conflict and political instability. These portrayals, rooted in colonial histories, continue to shape global perceptions and policy decisions. A recently published Global Media Index for Africa offers insights into how the continent is portrayed in global media. Produced by a University of Cape Town research team in …

Speaking at the 60th anniversary celebration of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group in Abidjan on 10 September, its President, Akinwumi Adesina, praised the bank’s achievements, calling it a day of joy. Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire, hosts the bank’s headquarters. Since its founding in 1964, the bank had supported over 6,500 projects across Africa, he said. In …

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the mayor of Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, has been awarded the German Africa Award for her innovative and unwavering commitment to sustainable urban development and local participation. The prize will be presented to the African politician by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas on 16 October 2024 at the Allianz Forum in Berlin. With her participatory approach …

The 5th Conference of the German Network for Forced Migration Studies took place from 16-18 September in Bonn, bringing together over 400 participants from around the world for in-depth discussions on forced migration. Maarit Thiem, who led the BICC organising team, addresses the conference’s opening/Photo: Seddy Saidykhan Researchers, practitioners, students, and stakeholders, including refugee and migrant organizations, explored the many …

A recent study commissioned by the German government has revealed that approximately one-third of police officers observed racist remarks made by colleagues within a one-year period. This finding is part of a comprehensive report on the everyday experiences and attitudes of police officers, conducted by the German Police University. The study (Motivation, Einstellung und Gewalt im Alltag von Polizeibeamtinnen und …

Germany and Kenya have recently signed a migration and labour agreement aimed at addressing Germany’s need for skilled workers while discouraging irregular migration. Signed in Berlin on 13 September 2024 by Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Dr Musalia Mudavadi, and witnessed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenyan President William Ruto, …

Germany will introduce controls at its nine land borders for the next six months beginning from 16 September, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) announced in Berlin on Monday. Accordingly, temporary border controls will be implemented at all of Germany’s land borders, including those with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Given that …

The 5th Conference of the German Network for Forced Migration Studies takes place in Bonn from 16-18 September 2024. Themed “Regional and Local Responses to Global Refugee Movements: Contexts, Challenges, Solutions”, it aims to explore the multifaceted dynamics of forced migration, including the root causes, the global and regional factors at play, and the challenges faced by both refugees and …

Kenyan President William Ruto is visiting Berlin, Germany, this week to participate in several significant events, including the historic co-hosting of the 2024 Annual Citizen Festival of the German President (Bürgerfest des Bundespräsidenten) alongside the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. This marks the first time a non-European country has been invited to co-host this prestigious event, highlighting the strong economic and …

An international forum on forced migration and displacement caused by violent conflicts and natural disasters will convene from 16 to 18 September 2024 in the western German city of Bonn. The 5th Conference of the German Network for Forced Migration Studies brings together refugee and non-refugee researchers at all career levels, practitioners, students and interested parties, such as refugee/migrant organisations, …

Looking at public service for wives of Governors in Nigeria, few figures embody resilience, commitment, and selfless service like Her Excellency, Amb. Dr. Mrs. Gloria Diri. A certified Nurse Midwife, Public Health Educator, and First Lady of Bayelsa State, her journey is that of hard work, leadership, and the passion for uplifting communities. Gloria was Born and raised in Bayelsa …

A new data study has revealed the most popular banks across Europe. The research conducted by banking experts Finansvalp analysed 43 European countries based on how many times each Googles a term related to saving money and banking.  The data includes 681 keywords, such as “health savings account”, “danske bank savings account”, “how to start saving money”, “nordjyske bank”, and …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, outgoing Member of the European Parliament, writes on the significance of Gambian parliamentarians’ decision not to rescind the ban on female genital mutilation in the west African country ____________________ Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains banned in the Gambia. Despite pressure from religious dignitaries and retrograde groups in society who consider female genital mutilation to be an integral …

Documenting the scene will help protect your legal rights and make it easier to claim compensation Seeing a doctor, even for minor injuries, is vital for maintaining a record of the accident Be prepared for an accident by keeping recording equipment in your car, an expert warns  Getting caught up in a car accident can be a traumatic experience. It’s …

Wole Soyinka, the literary giant and human rights icon, turns 90 on 13 July. Considering the gamut of his creative work as a dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist, memoirist and wordsmith, the emeritus professor of comparative literature could arguably be described as Africa’s greatest man of letters ever. In 1986, Soyinka became the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in …

At the heart of Wole Soyinka’s whole corpus of work is man, mankind with all his intelligence and stupidity, writes Atim Ani*. The Nobel laureate pictures man, an African, in his constant struggle of adjustment to his changing environment, she posits in this essay on the significance of Soyinka’s body of work. Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Prize for Literature …

For a continent whose merits have been overshadowed by wars, natural disasters, poverty and human displacements, the Nobel Prize for literature awarded to the Nigerian Wole Soyinka in 1986 must have come as a shock to those audiences with little knowledge of the presence of a wealth of contemporary African literatures. This shock could only be the result of years …