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 …

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. The Nobel Committee received more than 300 nominations for this year’s Peace Prize. The award, worth more than a million dollars, has been given …

The Organization for Migration (IOM) has released new statistics on migrant crossings to Europe via the Atlantic Ocean. So far, 1,741 people have died trying to make it to Europe through the Mediterranean. The UN agency said that a total of 82,100 migrants and refugees have reached Europe by sea in 2018 as of September 30. Spain saw the largest …

According to the latest report of the European statistical agency Eurostat, 16.7 million men and women in the 28 member countries of the EU were unemployed in August 2018. Compared with August 2017, unemployment fell by 1.9 million in the bloc. The lowest unemployment rates in August 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.5 %), Germany and Poland (both …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are the world’s most popular leaders, according to a new study. The survey was conducted among 26,112 respondents in 25 countries from May 20 to August 12 by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, Washington-based think tank. The most trusted international leader was German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who claimed the confidence …

A group of Nigerian migrants held captive inside a detention centre in Libya have been rescued after releasing a video taken on their phones. The footage went viral on social media and caught the attention of the authorities. Sertan Sanderson of InfoMigrants reports. The migrants held in Zawiya in Libya reportedly risked their lives to shoot the video, which shows …

South African schools will teach Swahili alongside other non-African languages such as Mandarin, French and German. Proponents hope it may one day become a lingua franca for the African continent. Thuso Khumalo of Deutsche Welle reports. One of Africa’s most widely recognized languages, Swahili — also known as Kiswahili — will soon be taught in South African classrooms, in a …

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 …

Marriott International plans to increase its hotels in Africa by 50 percent in the next five years, opening new facilities in markets where it already operates and venturing into new ones like Mozambique, the company said on Monday (1 October). Global hotel chains have been increasing their investments in Africa in recent years to take advantage of fast expanding economies …