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Gambia’s government will launch an investigation into the finances of former President Yahya Jammeh, Justice Minister Aboubacarr Tambadou told Reuters on Friday. Tambadou said the investigation would include his personal use of a charity bank account. The government of President Adama Barrow, who beat Jammeh in the December 2016 election before Jammeh fled into exile, had accused Jammeh of siphoning …

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari returned to his country on Friday after nearly two months of absence. He has been in the UK receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. Details of his health condition have not been made public. The former military ruler left the country on 19 January and has been on medical leave in London. Buhari (74) is however …

It is a common practice of Western journalists to compare the economic situation of Ghana today with that of South Korea to illustrate how backward Africa still is in comparison with the other parts of the world. The basis for comparing the two countries is the similar size of their economies at the time Ghana gained independence in 1957. Our …

This year’s Anne Klein Women’s Award from Germany’s Heinrich Böll Foundation goes to South African Nomarussia Bonase, who fights for Apartheid victims still waiting for compensation. DW journalist Thuso Khumalo has met her. Nomarussia Bonase, aged 50, celebrated winning the Anne Klein Women’s Award by singing and dancing with her family and supporters, both young and old, on the street …

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that Ghana no longer has an excuse to remain an underdeveloped country after 60 years of independence from colonial rule. In a nine-page independence anniversary speech delivered in Accra on Monday, he pointed out that after successfully fighting off colonial rule in order to take charge of its own destiny, “we have run out …

EU states agreed to set up a new HQ for military training missions on Monday (6 March) in what some see as the nucleus of a future European army. The HQ is to start work in April and to take charge of three existing EU training missions – in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Mali, and in Somalia – …

Democratic Republic of Congo’s main opposition coalition has named the son of its late leader Etienne Tshisekedi to succeed him, but some within the opposition rejected the choice. Felix Tshisekedi was chosen to lead the alliance of some of the country’s largest opposition parties, which was thrown into crisis by the death of his father in Brussels last month, aged …

More than 40.000 people with Ghanaian heritage live in Germany, which makes them the biggest African community in the country from south of the Sahara. Half of them still have Ghanaian citizenship.

Germany and Tunisia have made a deal on immigration and development aid. Under the agreement reached after talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Beji Essebsi in the Tunisian capital, the North African country will take back its citizens whose asylum applications have been turned down by Germany. Berlin will reward Tunis with generous development aid. “We have agreed with …

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Brigadier-General Mansur Dan Ali (rtd.), has told the German international broadcaster DW that the suspected kidnappers had been arrested. “They have been detained. The police chief mentioned that when he was briefing us on improved security in southern Kaduna State,” he said. The identity of the suspects has however not yet been disclosed. The two German …

To mark the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Ghana's Independence, the worldwide operating money transfer provider MoneyGram has launched a promotion campaign to reward customers in Ghana receiving international money transfers from family and friends abroad.

  The European Commission is piling on pressure for member states to send unwanted migrants packing, including children, and lock up those at risk of disappearing before deportation. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner for migration, told reporters on Thursday (2 March) that EU states should not hesitate to detain anyone at risk of absconding for the maximum legal limit of …

Adam Amina, a 33-year-old pregnant mother, lay in one of the labour wards at Tamale’s only referral hospital in northern Ghana. She looked uncomfortable as she waited for her turn to be examined by one of the male midwives.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel starts a two-day trip to Egypt and Tunisia on Thursday (2 March), part of her push to limit migrant flows to Europe through North Africa, especially chaos-torn Libya. Since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya has lacked a national government, which has made it the main gateway for African migrants heading for the 28-member EU …

The UN’s children’s fund, Unicef, has said minors face shocking abuse in Libya and risk vanishing into crime and prostitution in Europe. The Unicef report, published on Tuesday (28 February), said more and more children are arriving in Italy alone and required better protection to prevent them falling into the hands of criminals. In one harrowing case, Unicef’s regional director …

Since its introduction in August 2012, 53704 highly-qualified immigrants have received an EU Blue Card in Germany, according to figures just released by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The EU Blue Card, a single work and residence permit, allows non-EU citizens with a university degree to take up employment in the EU commensurate with their qualifications. Holders …

Visa issuance simplification, reissuance of passports after change of name at missions and harmonisation of airport arrival and departure cards, are among the new administrative steps taken by Africa’s most-populous nation to make things easier for citizens and foreigners travelling to the country, reports Kola Tella from Lagos. The Federal Government of Nigeria has reviewed the visa processes for foreigners …

Pope Francis has made a surprise announcement saying he wants to make a trip to famine-struck, war-torn South Sudan, but not on his own. He wants the head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Justin Welby, to come too. Francis made the disclosure at the weekend in impromptu comments during a visit to Rome’s Anglican Church, the first to the parish …

New figures show there were nearly ten attacks on refugees and refugee accommodation every day in Germany in 2016. The country’s opposition says the government is not doing enough against right-wing violence. There were 3,533 attacks on refugees and refugee hostels across Germany last year, the Funke Media Group reported on Sunday. The attacks left 560 people injured, among them …

The two Germans kidnapped by unknown persons in the northern state of Kaduna last week have been released. The two archaeologists, Professor Peter Breunig, and his colleague, Johannes Buringer, were freed on Saturday night, according to Nigeria’s online daily PREMIUM TIMES. “Yes, they were released last night (Saturday) by their kidnappers. No ransom was paid,” a senior police officer was …