Special

Janngo pledges €60 million at Davos to back African startups

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 …

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Ghana signs agreement with Siemens to address electricity challenges

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 …

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African leaders gather in London for investment summit

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 …

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Division breaks out in ECOWAS over common currency

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 …

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Global food and agriculture fair opens in Berlin

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 …

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Germany: How Black people should deal with racial profiling – former police officer

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.

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Applications Open for ‘FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30’ for 2020

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 …

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Foreign students made to wait months for German visa after admission – new report

Students in India, Morocco and Cameroon had to wait over a year before getting a visa appointment to study in Germany, according to a report. The Greens slammed the growing wait times as “discouraging and demotivating.” International students looking to study in Germany face growing hurdles to securing visas, according to a report on Thursday. At 24 German embassies and diplomatic …

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N-Word: Germany’s Black community to protest against court decision allowing use of racist word

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 …

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Sick without papers in Germany: Here’s where to get help

According to estimates, about 1 million people in Germany have no health insurance. There are many reasons for this: mainly because they do not have a regular residency status but also because they cannot afford to pay for health and nursing care insurance as students. There’re organisations that helps people without health insurance, regardless of whether they have legal residency rights or not.

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Orange, GIZ partner to impart digital skills on 20,000 youths in Africa

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.

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N-Word: Noah Becker‘s victory in Berlin and the setback in Magdeburg

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 …

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Experts predict bright economic future for East Africa in new report

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 …

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Is the renaming of CFA franc a prelude to an Ecowas common currency?

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, …

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OPEN LETTER: Germany, We are not your Negroes! – by Charlotte Nzimiro, petitioner against N-Word

Charlotte Nzimiro launched the ongoing petition against the scandalous judgement of the State Constitutional Court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), de facto recognising that the word “Neger” (Engl. Nigger, Negro) could be used to describe people of African descent in Germany. Nzimiro’s petition, launched on 20 December and which has already gathered more than 42,000 signatures within 2 days, calls for …

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Germany: Black activist petitions against court decision allowing use of N-Word

Activist launches petition campaign for the classification of “neger” as a racist word in Germany after eastern state court gives AfD member the right to call people of African descent by the derogatory word. AfD is a xenophobic, extreme right-wing party. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) ruled on Thursday (19 December) that sanctioning the leader of the …

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Application for German fellowship for young African professionals opens

Are you a highly qualified young professional and you are not older than 35 years? Do you have several years of working experience, strong leadership qualities and a high level of dedication? Are you from a country in Africa? If yes, then apply until 10 January 2020 for AFRIKA KOMMT! The fellowship programme​ offers the opportunity of a fully-sponsored one-year …

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