Special

Lead Academy: Application closes on 15 November, Apply now!!

An invitation has gone out to young people of African descent in Germany to participate in the Lead Academy 2020 via Zoom on 24-26 November. The event is organised by Lead Africa International e.V., a global non-governmental organization dealing with development issues. The three-day virtual event precedes the Global Partnership for African Development (G-PAD) 2020 Forum, with the theme Strengthening …

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Solar on the Rise in Africa – New report

Africa has immense potential for photovoltaics which has barely been utilized up until now. But a pioneering spirit is spreading across the continent, with many countries paving the way for ambitious photovoltaics projects. This is the conclusion of the Intersolar Solarize Africa Market Report 2020, prepared by the Becquerel Institute and the German Solar Association (BSW-Solar) with support from Intersolar …

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Should a growing business hire employees or contractors?

Business is booming in Africa, tipped as a continent to watch in the coming years. This is principally because African economies have experienced an influx of foreign investment interest and an explosion of local entrepreneurship in recent years. From the continent commanding the spotlight on solar energy to the businesses propelling the ‘Made In Africa’ label across the globe, the business world …

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Germany: Scholarship for journalists from countries in crisis

Journalists from countries in crisis or war can apply to stay in Berlin for three months. Reporters Without Borders Germany, in cooperation with taz Panter Foundation, will host three journalists in 2021. The Rest and Refuge Scholarship will provide travel, an apartment, a living stipend and transportation in Berlin. “We offer travel expenses, a decent apartment, a monthly stipend of …

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Chinese products top Nigeria’s imported goods list

A total of 31.41 per cent of goods imported into Nigeria are from China, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported. The NBS revealed in its latest report on ‘Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics’ for the second quarter of 2020, that Spain topped the list of Nigeria’s exported goods. “Nigeria’s imports, by country of origin, shows goods were imported …

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Young African professionals making it big in Germany

When the coronavirus pandemic spread in early 2020, economies around the world closed down and most people were relegated to remote work. But for the young African professionals taking part in the latest AFRIKA KOMMT! programme, the pandemic brought the additional challenge of being in a foreign country and taking part in a highly competitive programme. According to Ilka Wiskemann, …

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Remembering Theodor Michael, one year on

Theodor Michael, the grand old man of the Black community in Germany, died at the age of 94 on 19 October 2019. Michael, who was born on 15 January 1925 as the youngest of four children to a father from Cameroon and a German mother, was one of the oldest living Germans of African descent at the time of his …

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COVID-19: Opportunity for continental free trade to unlock Africa’s full potential

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement was initially scheduled to enter into force in July 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commencement of the implementation of the continental deal has been postponed until January 2021. NJ Ayuk*, international legal practitioner and founder of one of Africa’s most successful law chambers, explains why the global health …

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Why Kenyan Diaspora Startup Bill 2020 is weak in practice

After Senator Johnston Arthur Sakaja’s recent brush with the law over flouting Covid-19 restrictions, the legislator has got back to doing what legislators do best. Drafting bills. His latest brainchild is the Kenyan Diaspora Startup Bill 2020. The bill has good intent but is weak in practice, argues David Monda.  The Kenyan Startup Bill 2020 is an innovative bill that …

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Germany: Group campaigns for more jobs for Blacks in Berlin’s tech industry

Employees of African origin in Berlin’s tech companies have started a group to promote diversity in the sector. Called “Black in Tech Berlin”, the group networks and shares ideas to bring change in the industry, where Black people are underrepresented. It counts six hundred members and was founded by Kave Bulambo, who is originally from the DR Congo but grew …

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Germany: Business magazine for the African community launched

A new magazine, published bimonthly and bilingual in English and German to serve self-employed Africans in Germany, was launched at a colourful ceremony on Saturday in the western German city of Dortmund. The African Merchant (TAM) would support African entrepreneurship by focusing on opportunities and challenges of self-employment in Germany, Dr Rosalyn Dressman, publisher of the new magazine, said at …

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Ghana: Why the Public University Bill Endangers Academic Freedom

The Public University Bill has been the cause for heated debate in Ghana, especially in academic circles. Germany-based journalist and scholar Tina Adomako explains how the new bill could herald the end of freedom of speech and research in government-owned institutions of higher learning in the country. While the global coronavirus pandemic has challenged educational institutions and universities around the …

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Kenya’s president woos French investors in Paris, signs major contracts

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is currently on a visit to Paris to sign major agreements with French companies on water, infrastructure and energy and attend events to further Franco-Kenyan economic and political ties.. President Uhuru Kenyatta kicked off his 5-day official visit to France on Wednesday evening at Elysee Palace where he was received by his host, French President Emmanuel …

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Facebook to open new office in Lagos, Nigeria

"All across Africa we’re seeing immense talent in the tech ecosystem, and I’m proud that with the upcoming opening of our new office, we’ll be building products for the future of Africa, and the rest of the world, with Africans at the helm. We look forward to contributing further to the African tech ecosystem.”

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Why Senegal’s President Macky Sall is right about African debt relief by NJ Ayuk

NJ Ayuk, founder of one of Africa’s most successful law chambers, supports the Senegalese leader's call on the G20 to help African countries balance their obligations to international creditors with their obligations to their own citizens in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. He explains why debt relief is crucial to Africa's recovery from the economic fallout of the global health crisis

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