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In a judgment delivered on 11 June 2026, the Berlin-Mitte District Court awarded financial compensation to a Black German man after finding that he had been subjected to racial discrimination during a police identity check. The ruling is seen as an important application of Berlin’s State Anti-Discrimination Act _______ A Berlin court has ordered the state to pay €500 in …

The European Parliament has approved a sweeping overhaul of the EU’s return and deportation system, paving the way for the establishment of deportation centres in non-EU countries and granting member states broader powers to enforce removals. The legislation was adopted on 17 June 2026 in Strasbourg by 418 votes to 218, with 30 abstentions, following a provisional agreement reached between …

Germany granted citizenship to a record 332,500 foreign nationals in 2025, underscoring the growing importance of naturalisation as a pathway to full participation in German society. According to provisional figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of naturalisations rose by 14 per cent compared with 2024, marking the fifth consecutive annual increase and the highest figure since …

South Africa’s film industry is set for a major international spotlight after the country was officially named the “Country in Focus” for the 2027 edition of the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival, widely known as the Berlinale. The announcement, made by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Berlinale organisers, means South African …

A series of new laws and regulations, affecting retirees, consumers, women, migrants and businesses alike, will enter into effect in March 2026. Key changes include reforms to credit scoring, expanded breast cancer screening, higher health insurance contributions, extension of war refugee protection and updates to vehicle registration rules. Here are the most important changes in March SCHUFA: Transparency in Credit …

In early December 2024, Ghana made headlines across the globe as John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the presidential election, defeating the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. This marks the fourth time since the nation’s return to multiparty democracy in 1992 that an opposition candidate has successfully unseated a ruling party, …

ANNOUNCEMENT An informative online session discussing the transition from tolerated stay (Duldung) to a secure legal right of residence in Germany will be held on Wednesday, 2 October 2024. Topics to be covered at the virtual event, titled “From Tolerated Stay to Right of Residence in Germany,” include the legal frameworks governing tolerated stay, options for regularizing one’s status and …

Berlin hosted a significant event on Saturday 21 September aimed at fostering unity and collaboration between African diplomatic missions and the organized African communities in Germany. Organized by the African Ambassadors Group, the event, christened ‘Celebration of Africa Day with the Diaspora 2024’, saw the participation of diplomats from African embassies in Germany alongside representatives of various African associations in …

Kenyan-born social entrepreneur and advocate for African girls, women and families in Germany, Virginia Wangare Greiner, is one of the two recipients of the ‘HeroinesAward 2024’ (HeldinnenAward 2024). Awarded by the Alice Schwarzer Foundation, the ‘HeroinesAward’ recognizes women who fight courageously and with dedication to improve the situation of women, whether through their professional work, social engagement or personal commitment. …

Afro-Pop stars to perform at Berlin’s international music festival Pop-Kultur Berlin’s Pop-Kultur Festival, holding from 28-30 August, is set to dazzle attendees with an electrifying lineup of performances, featuring some of Africa’s brightest stars. Among the headliners is Yemi Alade, the Nigerian Afro-pop sensation whose energetic performances have captivated audiences worldwide. Known for her vibrant stage presence, Alade will bring …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament (MEP), condemns discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs as well as anti-Black racism, and calls for decisive action against all forms of hatred. She makes a recommendation on how to tackle Afrophobia more effectively at the European level ——- Discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs has no place in our …

New data has revealed the most ‘TikTokable’ European cities, with Berlin and Hamburg making the top ten.  Using data sourced from Statista, marketing experts at Upbeat Agency analysed the number of views each European city had received on TikTok.  Barcelona is the most popular European city on TikTok, with 106.1 billion views. The cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s most popular tourist …

Plans to eliminate the blinding disease trachoma from 16 African countries have been boosted with $36.5m (about €34.24) in new funding. Twelve of the countries supported through the Accelerate programme, led by the non-profit Sightsavers, hope to eliminate trachoma by 2027 and three will make significant progress towards this goal in that time.  Trachoma begins as a bacterial infection, with symptoms similar …

A recent study conducted by experts at Vignetteswitzerland.com has unveiled the most and least affordable European countries for car ownership.  The research considered factors such as fuel prices, vehicle taxes, and insurance costs, compared to average salaries, to assign each place a unique score to reveal where owning a car is the least financially draining.  The higher the index score …

Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), has reiterated that Nigeria’s economic prosperity could be galvanised through a structured Diaspora Investment. The NIDCOM chief emphasized this at a strategic meeting with the investment group Optiva Capital Partners, a wealth management firm specializing in investment immigration, investment advisory and insurance services, in Abuja on Wednesday. She added that collaboration …

An umbrella organisation of Black organisations in Germany, tubman.network, has successful completed the implementation of its ‘Professionalisation-Strategy’ project, aimed at bolstering support for Black communities in Berlin’s district of Mitte. Supported by the District Office Berlin-Mitte, the project addressed crucial challenges such as housing, psychosocial support, employment, access to education, emergency relief, access to health-services with a focus on providing …

By Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP The European Parliament held a memorial service on Thursday to express its solidarity with the recent victims in Israel. In her speech, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said: We are here with the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and all of you – as one – …

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday assured Nigerians in the diaspora that his administration would give special priority to diaspora engagement in its Renewed Hope agenda. Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, at the opening of the 17th National Diaspora Day (NDD) event in Abuja, the president said that his administration would be a diaspora-friendly government and …

In an exclusive interview with The African Courier, Godfrey Chukwuemeka Evurulobi, CEO of Gosab Care GmbH, explains the opportunities for self-employment in the care sector in Germany for Africans and how you can easily get started in the business. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur runs three companies – Gosab Personalmanagement und Consulting, Gosab Care GmbH and Gosabflex GmbH, from Cologne with branches …

A podium discussion on the situation of third-country nationals who fled the war in Ukraine took place recently in the East German city of Halle. There are currently about 38,000 refugees from Ukraine without Ukrainian citizenship in Germany. The objectives of the event, organised by AWO Akademie Mitteldeutschland, were to reflect on the racist experiences of the African refugees, spotlight …