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Germany and Mozambique aim to uphold their political dialogue and step up economic relations, said Chancellor Angela Merkel following a meeting with President Filipe Nyusi in Berlin on 21 April. Germany, she added, would like to help secure peace in Mozambique.  Chancellor Merkel praised the traditionally good and cordial relations between Germany and Mozambique. Today, more than 3,500 people from …

Chancellor Angela Merkel and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta discussed Kenya’s economic development and bilateral co-operation at a meeting during the African leader’s visit to Berlin in April.  Germany can be a good partner for Kenya in the fields of infrastructure development, training and energy supply, Dr Merkel said, welcoming the commitment of President Kenyatta to increased economic relations between both …

PRESS STATEMENT Nairobi, 19 April 2016 – The African Media Initiative is pleased to announce the launch of its pan-African journalism contest – the 2nd Zimeo Awards for Excellence in Media. The contest is open to professional journalists in Africa reporting or writing for print, radio, TV and digital.  At this stage, AMI is calling on all interested journalists to …

Where corruption is involved, African leaders seem to be utterly beyond shock. Black folks in office often regard as normal business the kind of infractions that draw alarm and apologetic resignations in other parts of the world.

Images of people escaping their homes to search for safety have in a very short amount of time become part of our daily routine. The most severe humanitarian crisis since the Second World War is challenging nation states as well as civil society organisations and reinforces the question of immigration with a vehemence, which for a long time has not …

The controversial bill passed by French parliament in February making it possible to revoke the citizenship of people convicted on terrorism charges has been withdrawn by President Francois Hollande. The action followed the rejection of the bill by the Senate on 30 March. The bill, presented by Prime minister Manuel Valls in the wake of the Paris attacks of last …

German Minister for Development and International Cooperation, Dr Gerd Müller, began a five-day tour of the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Djibouti on 29 March. With this trip, the German government wants to raise global awareness about the crises in the region. The most notable stop on the minister’s tour is the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, the …

A former member of Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives has been appointed the Senior Special Assistant on Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to the President. The appointment of Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a leading member of the ruling APC, is interpreted as a sign of the government’s recognition of the enormous contributions of the Diaspora to Nigeria’s development. The World Bank Migration and …

Eric Chinje, the chief executive of the Nairobi-headquartered African Media Initiative, was in Germany recently and took part at the conference Media and Migration: Perspectives from Africa – Challenges for Europe, held at the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism in Dortmund. In an exclusive interview with our correspondent Ousainou Bayo, Chinje talks about a plethora of issues ranging from …

Efosa Ogieriakhi mobilises diaspora Nigerians for Edo governorship election A group of Europe-based indigenes from Edo State, Nigeria, has endorsed the governorship aspiration of Godwin Obaseki, a member of the governing All Progressives Congress, and pledged to campaign for him at the forthcoming election in the state later in the year. The decision was made in Berlin in March at …

Our correspondent Ousainou  Bayo was recently in Brussels to attend the 51st National Day celebrations hosted by the country’s ambassador to the European Union. He reports. The Gambian ambassador to the European Union, Her Excellency Mrs Teneng Mba Jaiteh, has invited friends of The Gambia and travel enthusiasts to visit the country. “The Gambia prides itself as a choice destination …

Nigerian psychologist, Prof Erhabor Sunday Idemudia, talks about migration from Africa A conference of European and African leaders took place in the Maltese capital, Valetta, in November to find a solution to the refugee crisis. The EU offered African countries aid amounting to 1.8 billion euros to fight the causes of emigration and relieve Europe of the pressure of young …

German President Joachim Gauck’s visit to Nigeria in February to intensify bilateral relations between both nations especially in economic and security matters, according to analysts. The 4-day tour from 8-13 February, which took Gauck to the federal capital Abuja and the economic hub Lagos, saw the German president meeting political and business leaders to discuss areas of common interests. In …

 Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Maria Böhmer, recently met the female Ambassadors from Africa in Berlin to discuss topical foreign policy issues. The get-together at Villa Borsig initially focused on the growing threat posed by terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State, Boko Haram and Al Shabab, as well as flight and migration, the role of women …

The inspiring story of painstaking negotiations, compromise and convictionHoucine Abassi, head of Tunisia’s General Labour Union (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail or UGTT), is regarded as the Father of the National Dialogue in Tunisia. After the revolution following the overthrow of the Ben Ali dictatorship in January 2011, a power tussle among competing political and cultural forces ensued. The wrangling led …

Humanitas Afrika has launched a creative initiative to promote positive Africa in the Czech Republic. Around Africa in a Month is a current affairs programme and a platform of constructive dialogue held on the last Friday of every month to discuss serious issues that touch on the development of the African continent and showcase the various contributions that the African …

BOOK  Medicinal plants and traditional medical practices in Sierra Leone have much to offer the rest of the world. Dr Cyrus MacFoy, professor, researcher and consultant, highlights more than 200 plants used to cure more than 100 diseases and illnesses in this information guide. He provides the plants’ locations, their botanical and local names, their English common names, and the …

“We will also encourage the Diaspora to engage the mission” In an exclusive interview with our correspondent Ousainou Bayo, Gambia’s ambassador to the European Union, HE Mrs Teneng Mba Jaiteh (pictured), talks about the challenges of her work, the focus of her country’s foreign policy and what the The Gambia is doing to attract more foreign investment and tourists, among …

Germany and South Africa have agreed to work more closely in areas such as climate action, trade, development and measures to address terrorism, said Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference after she held talks with President Jacob Zuma in Berlin on 10 November. It was during the South African leader’s official visit to Germany and the first time the …

Souleiman is a Darfuri young man who had to leave for Khartoum from Darfur in 2004, sheltering in the outskirts of the capital, he did not have the chance to receive proper schooling. Lacking therefore a vocational skill, he was unemployed for most of the time. However, in spring 2013, he came to know that there was a vocational training …