Special

More than 200 Nigerians in the Diaspora have indicated interest to participate in the maiden Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS) slated to hold on 27-29 November in Abuja. This was revealed by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, at a joint news conference with other stakeholders in Abuja on Monday (15 October). …

The annual African Youth Education Awards (AYEA) took place on Saturday and was attended by more than 400 guests from across Germany. The event, which showcases the success of young people with African background in their educational endeavours, was attended by, among other dignitaries, the Mayor of Hamburg-Mitte, Falko Drossmann, and the ambassadors of Ghana and Nigeria to Germany, H.E …

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a new executive order which among other things compels Nigerians with assets outside the country to pay taxes on them. The Executive Order (008), tagged Voluntary Offshore Assets Regularisation Scheme (VOARS), was signed by the President on Monday and takes effect from the same day, the Presidency said on Wednesday, 8 October. According to a …

Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 8-10 November in Vienna, Austria. In addition to addressing issues of concern to Nigerians in diaspora, the event will discuss the outcome of the first-ever Nigerian Diaspora Global Project & Investment Summit UK, which took place in July 2018 in London. The objective of the conference …

Do you have an ingenious idea, courage, energy and passion? German Founders and Entrepreneurs Days (Die Deutschen Gründer- und Unternehmertage or deGUT) 2018 is the place to be as you will have access to expertise and information on what it takes to establish your own business. From defining your idea to issues of financing, marketing and sales – this event, …

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says his government, over the last 21 months, has ensured stability and adequate supply of power in the country, in the place of the erratic power situation that it inherited. Speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit, in London, on Monday, 8th October, 2018, President Akufo-Addo indicated that his government, over the …

Senegal’s international music star Akon is planning a solar investment programme for Sierra Leone as part of plans to support the government of President Julius Maada Bio. Akon, real name Aliaume Damala Badara, met with the president in the United States on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly, UNGA. Local media reports that his investment will comprise the …

The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) has launched a scheme under which it will grant mortgage loans to nationals in the diaspora. The bank in a statement issued on Friday (5 October) said the loan targets non-resident Ethiopians and foreign nationals of Ethiopian origin. CBE chief Bacha Gina said the product was part of the bank’s vision to serve and …

The youth empowerment initiative to promote educational achievement in the African community in Germany holds its annual award ceremony at the premises of the IHK in Hamburg on Saturday, 13 October 2018. The annual African Youth Education (AYE) Awards aim to motivate young people of African origin in Germany to seek excellence in school. The scheme was initiated in 2011 …

A robust manufacturing sector is broadly understood as a fundamental path to economic growth and development. Despite their manufacturing potential and promising trajectories, most African countries have remained relatively dearth of factories, writes Professor Landry Signé. How to unlock the manufacturing and industrialization potential in Africa? The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa …

Speech delivered by Femi Awoniyi, Co-Director of Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), at the 12th Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2018 at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, on Sunday, 23 September 2018. Too many Nigerians are dying daily in the course of irregularly migrating to Europe. Too many are stranded in Europe, unable to obtain legal residency and obliged to return home. Too …

Despite an economic slowdown, most African countries are reported to have a positive economic outlook. This is according to ICAEW’s (the institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) latest report, In Economic Insight: Africa Q3 2018. The report, commissioned by ICAEW and produced by partner and forecaster Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance. The regions …

The refrain at the Stakeholders’ Roundtable Dialogue on Migration, organised by the Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), last weekend was an appeal to Nigerian youths to acquire vocational skills. Addressing the event, a series of consultation with civil society on issues deriving from irregular migration, Engr. Deremi Elebute called on youths to realize that the nation’s job market had changed …

The Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN) has warned would-be migrants to avoid irregular routes as the security situation in Libya worsens and death rates in the Mediterranean soar. In a statement released Tuesday in Lagos and jointly signed by the co-directors of the initiative, Kenneth Gbandi and Femi Awoniyi, the MEPN pointed to the declaration of a state of emergency …

Leading international money transfer company WorldRemit has launched a new digital service within Africa, making it easier to send and receive money across the continent. The new digital service will reduce the cost of sending money across borders. The prohibitive charges that individuals and businesses pay to transfer money within Africa are recognised as a major obstacle to the growing …

The UK Government has announced a new £70-million programme to create 100,000 jobs in Nigeria, says the Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin. Baldwin said this during a business event as part of the activities for Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to Nigeria on Wednesday. Baldwin, who led a business delegation to the event, said that the programme would …

While the focus of awareness campaigns have been on the travails of those journeying north to Europe through Libya, Nigerians travelling by land irregularly towards South Africa are also suffering hell. That was the revelation made by Dr Kingsman Chikelu, Chairman of the Africa chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Enugu on Saturday at the Stakeholders’ Roundtable …

“For people wishing to study in Germany, it is not difficult to get a visa. It is easier than you think. It requires filing the details or you can just go to our website,” – Mr Bernhard Schlagheck, German Ambassador to Nigeria,  July 2017 ————————————————– One of the legal ways to migrate to Europe is to go there to study. …

The series of consultation with civil society on irregular migration, organised by the Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), kicked off in Abuja on Saturday [18 August]. The Stakeholders’ Roundtable Dialogue on Migration brought together youths, parents and multipliers, such as journalists, artists, educationists and religious leaders, among others, to exchange ideas and experiences on the issues deriving from irregular migration. …

At the recent Nigerian Diaspora Global Development Conference in London, government officials and business people from Nigeria exchanged ideas and experiences with the country’s nationals living abroad on how the Diaspora can better contribute to national development. Under the theme “Supporting the Development Roadmap for Nigeria”, the 3-day (26-28 July) event looked at the challenges confronting the country and identified …