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 …

According to new figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the population of the country stood at 83.2 million at the end of 2019 – 200,000 more than a year earlier. The population figure represents a new high, Destatis said even though the population growth was much smaller than in the years 2013 to 2018. The agency also revealed …

The political temperature in the West African nation of The Gambia is rising as thousands of supporters of former President Yahya Jammeh took to the streets of Banjul on Thursday (16 January) to demand for the return of the ousted ruler. The protest action, organised by Jammeh’s party Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party (APCR), is to send a …

Condemnations trail attack on the office of Karamba Diaby, a Senegal-born member of the Bundestag, in Halle. Germany’s foreign minister called the attack “disgusting and cowardly” The citizens’ office of Karamba Diaby, an SPD member of the Bundestag, in Halle was attacked between Tuesday and Wednesday. Diaby said the windowpanes had five bullet holes. “I condemn this violence. I know …

“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.”

A new law (Skilled Worker Immigration Act or Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz) that facilitates the recruitment of skilled workers from non-EU countries will enter into effect on 1 March. Germany is currently suffering from labour shortages in many sectors, including health care. Caritas has however warned that the needs of the countries where nurses would be recruited should be considered in the implementation …

Opposition parties slam electoral commission’s plan to compile a new electoral register before the December general elections, reports our correspondent Francis Sackitey from Accra The Electoral Commission of Ghana has come under criticisms from opposition parties, including the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for its decision to compile a new electoral register. Coming under the umbrella of …

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.

Gambia’s former president, Yahya Jammeh, is seeking to return home but the government say it could not guarantee his safety. Three years after he was forced to leave The Gambia, former President Yahya Jammeh is seeking to return home and his party, the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction, is backing him. However, the government of President Adama Barrow is …