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World Bank predicts drastic fall in remittances to Africa due to coronavirus pandemic

Global remittances are projected to decline sharply by about 20 percent in 2020 due to the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown, the World Bank has predicted. “The projected fall, which would be the sharpest decline in recent history, is largely due to a fall in the wages and employment of migrant workers, who tend to be …

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WIDU: Promoting entrepreneurship in Ghana and Cameroon with German government grant

There is an ongoing innovative project, sponsored by the German government, to promote micro and small businesses in Africa. WIDU, an initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the development agency GIZ, leverages diaspora remittances for the creation of jobs and better economic prospects in Africa. It’s currently being implemented in Ghana and …

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Jack Ma Foundation opens search for African business heroes 2020

The Jack Ma Foundation has opened the application process for its Africa’s Business Heroes competition. Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) is organized by the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, established in 2019 to cultivate and empower young African entrepreneurs by giving equal opportunities to those who harnessed the power of small businesses and technologies. Through its associated activities and training, business leaders …

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Charles Mohamed Huber’s life between two worlds

Ein Niederbayer im Senegal. Mein Leben zwischen zwei Welten (A Lower Bavarian in Senegal. My life between two worlds) is the story of Germany’s first  TV star of African descendant and former member of the federal parliament, from his childhood in a village in Lower Bavaria to national prominence. Charles Mohamed Huber, renowned for having been the first Black actor …

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Afrolynk and GIZ partner to support WIDU digital platform

Afrolynk is an Impact Venture that supports innovation, connects and accelerates, together with start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, SMEs, cooperation and organizations that are connected to the EU-African market. As part of the Accelerate pillar of the operations, it has partnered with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to carry out the WIDU project in Ghana. The WIDU Platform is …

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African Bank to help Sierra Leone restore self-sufficiency in rice production

Sierra Leone will look to the African Development Bank to stimulate agribusiness development in the country with a focus on rice production, President Maada Bio told a visiting delegation led by its president, Akinwumi Adesina. Adesina began a two-day visit to Sierra Leone on Wednesday, during which he held meetings to discuss curbing malnutrition, creating skills and jobs for young …

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Afro-German literature as tool for building the Black community

African Diasporas is a scholarly examination of the Afro-German literature through a comparison with African-American literature and the role it has played in the creation of a Black community in Germany. Literature has been the chief tool of people of African descent in Germany in their efforts to reclaim their African heritage and carve an identity for themselves. Through a …

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Black and Successful in Germany – Many are making it!

Written by actress, model and TV presenter Dayan Kodua, the first woman of African descent to win a state beauty contest in Germany, this book is on Black success stories in the country. Melanie Scheuenstuhl reviews the pictorial band of 25 personalities – politicians, designers, physicians, artists, chefs, lawyers, policemen and bus drivers, who tell their very personal stories of …

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Germany: Black community protests against N-word in Hamburg

Protesters turned out in Hamburg on Saturday (29 February), the last day of Black History Month, at a public demonstration against the controversial court decision legitimising the use of the derogatory word “neger” (subsequently referred to as the N-word in this report) to describe people of African descent in Germany. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had ruled on …

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12 African companies named fellows at educational tech centre

Twelve African EdTech Companies Named as First Fellows at Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT. Pan-African group will receive support to scale up EdTech innovations that improve teaching and learning in secondary education KIGALI, Rwanda, 1 February 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) today announced …

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Black community to protest against N-word in Hamburg

Members of the Black community in Germany will hit the streets of Hamburg on Saturday, 29 February to protest against the controversial decision of a court that describing people of African descent as “neger” (subsequently referred to as the N-word in this report ) is not necessarily derogatory. “We, who are referred to by this word, say: ‘The N*word is …

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Interview: How Afrolynk addresses Africa’s development challenges with technology

Afrolynk is a Berlin-based company that promotes increased African-European business relationship with a focus on technology as the chief driver of integration. The social enterprise, which is present in 8 African countries – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, supports young entrepreneurs with free online courses for the development of their skills. The company, which organises …

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Google offering paid fellowship for journalism, tech and design students in Europe

Google has announced the continuation and expansion of its Google News Initiative Fellowship in Europe. The scheme connects students and recent graduates who want to explore the intersection between journalism and technology with news organisations. The successful candidates will kick off their careers in the news industry by spending 8 weeks in Summer working with experts in newsrooms and creating …

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Ecobank Group partners Alipay on intra-African remittance services

LOME, Togo, February 12, 2020/ — The leading pan-African bank, Ecobank, has signed a cross-border remittance agreement with Alipay, the world’s leading payment and lifestyle platform, that aims to bring more inclusive financial services by providing a fast, safe, affordable and convenient way for workers to transfer money back home. The partnership will facilitate instant transfers from Rapidtransfer, Ecobank’s remittance …

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2020 predicted to be the Year of Intra-African remittances

ACCRA, Ghana, February 12th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Leading online international money transfer company WorldRemit predicts that 2020 will be the year of intra-African remittances. The World Bank already estimates that migrant workers within Africa send remittances in excess of $14 billion dollars each year, and in 2018 intra-African remittances represented 20% of global remittance flows according to Ecobank Group. …

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Canada announces express visa scheme for Nigerian students

Canada has announced an express visa scheme for students from Nigeria seeking to study at the country’s universities and colleges, PIE News has reported. The Nigeria Student Express initiative is aimed at expediting the processing time for study visa applications in Nigeria. The scheme, a specialised financial verification system (MyBank) used to ensure students have sufficient funds to study in …

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African leaders launch Fund to drive women entrepreneurship at AU Summit

Heads of State and Government who gathered at the 2020 African Union Summit have made the provision of more opportunities to women a centre-piece of their collective efforts to drive the continent’s economic growth and development. The Summit, taking place from 8-10 February in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, witnessed the launch of African Women Leadership Fund that will …

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Google Developers Space opens in Lagos

Google has launched its first Google Developers Space in Lagos, Nigeria. Previously referred to as the Google Launchpad Space, the Google Developers Space is a hub for African developers, entrepreneurs and startups. The event took place on 29 January. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, made a commitment to African entrepreneurs in July 2017 to start the Launchpad Accelerator Africa program and …

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Experts rally female students in Nigeria for science-oriented professions

ABUJA, Nigeria, February 3rd, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Science and Engineering Experts have called on young female students to pursue professional carriers in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM in Nigeria. The experts who were drawn from the public and private institutions in Nigeria, as well as the development sector, made this call recently at the Engineering …

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