Special

Global guide for startups calls on entrepreneurs in East and West Africa to submit nominations to be part of comprehensive guide to resources for startups and founders doing purpose-driven business in region. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, January 28th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- To all entrepreneurs, innovators, accelerators, experts and co-working spaces across the Silicon Savannah, from Nairobi to Lagos, Kigali to …

YouTube has announced the appointment of Alex Okosi, a Nigerian, as managing director of emerging markets for YouTube in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Okosi will be responsible for running YouTube’s business and partnership teams across emerging markets in EMEA including Russia, the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa. He will report to the head of YouTube EMEA, Cécile …

Early-career African journalists working for mainstream print and online newspapers can apply for this fellowship. The Paradigm Initiative is accepting candidates for its Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship. The application process is now open for the third edition of the Paradigm Initiative Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship. The Paradigm Initiative Digital Rights and Digital Inclusion Media Fellowship 2020 seeks to embed …

A panel discussion on how the Black community could engage the state for its empowerment was part of the People of African Descent Week which took place recently in Berlin. Panellists, including Berlin minister for justice, looked at how problems faced by Black people could be solved through community engagement with the government. The historic People of African Descent (PAD) …

African Youth Abroad Empowerment (AYAE), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to educating, enriching and empowering the youth, is holding its first ever Free Coding BootCamp in collaboration with Leap Academy on 8 February in Berlin. According to the largest English-language news network in Europe, The Local’s publication of 9 January 2019 titled “Germany and Poland compete to fill labour gaps”, Germany …

About 200 people took the streets of Cologne on Saturday in a public demonstration against a recent controversial court ruling allowing the use of the word neger (subsequently referred to as the N-word in this report) to describe people of African descent. The protesters demanded that the use of the derogatory word be made illegal as it degrades Black people. …

Janngo unveils Janngo Capital Startup Fund, its €60m Venture Capital fund dedicated to financing tech-enabled startup accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa, with a €15m anchor investment by the European Investment Bank On the eve of its participation to the 50th World Economic Forum, Janngo pledges 60€ million to back technology startups with a double bottom …

Germany’s technology company Siemens has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Ghana to address the country’s energy and infrastructure challenges, while contributing to the country’s growth and development agenda of creating high quality jobs and enhancing the vocational skills of Ghana’s youth. The MoU was signed by Siemens and the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) in …

African political and business leaders gather in London on Monday, 20 January for the UK-Africa Investment Summit. The Summit, hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, brings together businesses, governments and international institutions to promote British investment in Africa. Taking place in the wake of Brexit, the Summit seeks to strengthen the UK’s economic position in African nations, which are …

Disagreement among members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has broken out over the adoption of a common currency in the bloc. Six member countries have rejected the move by eight others to adopt the name ‘Eco’ as their common currency. In a surprise move on 21 December, the eight West African countries using the CFA franc …

“We urge all banks to stay vigilant, as apart from the large sums Silence group also steals sensitive information while monitoring the banks' activity as they video record screen activities. This is a serious privacy abuse that might cost more than money can buy.”

The International Green Week opens on Thursday (16 January) in Berlin. The exhibition, which is the world’s biggest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture, will run until 26 January. In a total of 27 exhibition halls at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, about 1,800 national and international exhibitors present typical regional products and services. Among the African countries participating at the …

Black people are often singled out as potential culprits in society which is why they are frequently stopped and searched by the police, followed in the supermarket, asked for their ticket by controllers in public transport or closely observed by security personnel in official premises. Since Black people are subjected to these experiences more frequently than members of other groups, we talk of their racial profiling.

FORBES AFRICA is on the hunt for Africans under the age of 30, who are building brands, creating jobs and transforming the continent, to join its Under 30 community for 2020. JOHANNESBURG, 07 January 2020: Attention entrepreneurs, creatives, sport stars and technology geeks — the 2020 FORBES AFRICA Under 30 nominations are now officially open. The FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 …

Members of the Black community in Germany will hit the streets of Cologne on Saturday, 18 January to register their protest against the controversial decision of a court that describing people of African descent as “neger” is not necessarily derogatory. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) had ruled on 19 December that sanctioning the leader of the AfD …

Orange and GIZ as two major institutions - one recognized for its expertise and know-how in the field of innovation, the other recognized by its experience and expertise in supporting the economic and social development of partner countries - will work hand in hand to train young people in digital skills, improve their employability and thus help reduce unemployment.

Afri Ride, a secure ride sharing mobile app with tailor-made solutions for the African travelling community, is now available in South Africa, and will be expanding into other African markets in the near future. Joe Moyo, managing director at the ride sharing app, describes the app as incredibly simple to use. “All that users have to do is, to upload …

The State Constitutional Court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Landesverfassungsgericht Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), sitting in Magdeburg, ruled on 19 December that sanctioning an AfD member of the state parliament, Nikolaus Kramer, over the use of the word “neger” during a debate in the house amounted to a restriction of his right to free expression. Kramer had taken the leadership of the state parliament to …

As the global recession gathers strength, most African economies are relatively unaffected owing to the strength of economic diversity in some regions. This is according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) latest report, Economic Update: Africa Q4 2019. The professional accountancy body provides GDP growth forecasts for various regions including East Africa, which is the …

Francophone West African countries have decided to rename their common currency CFA franc as the Eco. Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara announced the decision during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Abidjan on 23 December, showing that it was a decision jointly reached with France. The currency is used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, …