Month: October 2020

Uncategorized

Movemeback | Want to come home? This startup is helping diasporans return to the African continent

By Kay Ugwuede | TechCabal

Two years ago, according to a Pew Research Center study, about 45% of Nigerians had plans to leave the country within the next five years, more people than in all other surveyed countries. Many cited the grim economic and political future of the country. Some cited security concerns. If this survey were to be conducted at this time, with the events of October in sharp focus, perhaps this number will double. 

Continue reading “Movemeback | Want to come home? This startup is helping diasporans return to the African continent” →
Uncategorized

Council for Ethiopian Diaspora Action, CEDA: PM Abiy Ahmed Response to Donald Trump on Bombing the DAM / GERD

NEWS PROVIDED BY Council for Ethiopian Diaspora Action, CEDA

WASHINGTON – In the light of the recent US brokered and historic deal, that sees the normalization of relations between the great nations of Sudan and Israel, we the Ethiopian people wish to share our optimism and support for further stability in the Horn of Africa region. During these talks, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam, GERD, was mentioned by President Donald Trump.

Continue reading “Council for Ethiopian Diaspora Action, CEDA: PM Abiy Ahmed Response to Donald Trump on Bombing the DAM / GERD” →
Opinion

Chido Nwangwu | Why I Voted for America

By Chido Nwangwu | ThisDay

This Tuesday, November 3, 2020, a substantial number of eligible Americans will go to the polls to vote for the presidential, congressional and local elections. The majesty of the American electoral system is that this has gone on every four years — since 1789, at the time of the founding of this country, the greatest country known to human civilization.

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Communities

What makes Nigerians in diaspora so successful

By Ima Jackson-Obot | Financial Times

Anthony Joshua, world heavyweight boxing champion; John Boyega, Hollywood actor; Pearlena Igbokwe, Universal Studios group chair and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist. These are just a few names in a long list of Nigerians in diaspora who have achieved success on an international scale in a wide range of fields.

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Communities

‘They need our backing’: Ontario’s Nigerian community reflects on #EndSARS police protests

By Nick Westoll | Globalnews.ca

With thousands of residents across Nigeria demonstrating against police brutality and the widely condemned Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) over the past few weeks, expats and community members who live in Canada are rallying to support friends and loved ones who are protesting overseas.

Continue reading “‘They need our backing’: Ontario’s Nigerian community reflects on #EndSARS police protests” →
Uncategorized

Hoax embassy pages falsely claim Trump made visa announcements for Kenya and Liberia

By Mary Kulundu |  AFP Kenya    

Posts claiming that the US has announced permanent “E-visas” for Kenya and Liberia have been shared multiple times on Facebook. The claim is false; the claim was shared by Facebook pages impersonating those of the two African nations’ embassies, which both dismissed the announcements as hoaxes.

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Uncategorized

Ernest Ugeziwe | Podcast creator tells inspirational stories of Rwandans in America

By Sharon Kantengwa | The New Times | Rwanda

Ernest Ugeziwe is a Rwandan radio and television personality, mostly known for his music and entertainment shows mainly on Rwanda Television and other local media houses, a career he started in 2010 while still in college.

Continue reading “Ernest Ugeziwe | Podcast creator tells inspirational stories of Rwandans in America” →
Opinion

Trump’s Dangerous Rhetoric Toward Ethiopia Is Indicative of a Larger Problem

by Michelle Gavin | Council for Foreign Relations

Last week President Trump invited reporters to listen in on a call intended to celebrate the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel, a diplomatic achievement that comes with more than a few complications. During the course of the conversation with the Sudanese and Israeli prime ministers, the president of the United States took it upon himself to casually issue a bellicose threat to Ethiopia on behalf of Egypt and its president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a man Trump has referred to as “my favorite dictator.”

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Entertainment

Burna Boy, Tobe Nwigwe, others shine at the 2020 BET Awards

By Ezenduka Ebuka Murphy | Deythere.com

Burna Boy, Tobe Nwigwe, Roddy Ricch and Megan thee Stallion were some of the artistes who took the 15th annual BET Hip Hop Awards by storm .During a show that seemed to focus more on performances than awards, Nigerian star Burna Boy and Nigerian-born Houston spitter Tobey Nwigwe stood out with their performances.

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Uncategorized

Donald Trump Blocks Nigerian-American Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from being selected as WTO Director General

By Bryce Baschuk | Bloomberg

The World Trade Organization’s effort to select a leader and chart a new course for the global trading system hit a roadblock Wednesday after the Trump administration vetoed a bid by front-runner Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is a U.S. citizen, to be the WTO’s next director-general.

Continue reading “Donald Trump Blocks Nigerian-American Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from being selected as WTO Director General” →
Opinion

How Trump’s ‘African Ban’ Ripped Families Apart

By KOVIE BIAKOLO | The Atlantic

In February 2017, Tayo left Nigeria for the United States. (I am calling Tayo by her nickname because she feared that using her full name could threaten her green-card petition.) Two years earlier, a cousin who lived in New York had introduced her over the phone to a man he worked with; the two began a friendship that soon turned into a long-distance romance.

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Uncategorized

Daniel Ohaegbu | The 24-year-old Nigerian graduate creating a more inclusive Canada for international students

By LEELIAN KONG | Study International

Canada is the first country, Daniel Ohaegbu, 24, has ever travelled to outside of his home country Nigeria. He calls it home today, but it wasn’t always a walk in the park for Ohaegbu from the moment he stepped off the plane. International students face contemporary racism here, says Ohaegbu. “It comes in the form of assumptions. Assuming you know about an individual’s intellectual capacity or ability to perform.

Continue reading “Daniel Ohaegbu | The 24-year-old Nigerian graduate creating a more inclusive Canada for international students” →
Uncategorized

Kenyans in America propel rise in diaspora remittances for September

By WAINAINA WAMBU | The Standard

Cash sent home by Kenyans living and working abroad rose 21.4 per cent in September, posting a continued recovery from the global economic fallout caused by coronavirus. Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data shows remittance inflows for September hit $260.7 million (Sh28.4 billion), pushed up mainly by Kenyans living in America.

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Opinion

Stakes are high for Africa in US presidential election

By Patrick Smith | The Africa Report.

In a week’s time, Americans will see their votes counted in an election seen universally as the most consequential for half a century. Consequential for the direction and stability of the country for decades, and for the international system it has dominated.

Continue reading “Stakes are high for Africa in US presidential election” →
Education

Foreign students show less zeal for US since Trump took over

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CHICAGO, USA (AP) — On a recruiting trip to India’s tech hub of Bangalore, Alan Cramb, the president of a reputable Chicago university, answered questions not just about dorms or tuition but also American work visas. The session with parents fell in the chaotic first months of Donald Trump’s presidency.

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Uncategorized

Dr. Ngozi Ezike | Nigerian-American head of Illinois Public Health cries while reporting increase in Covid 19 infections

By Mitchell Armentrout |  Chicago Sun-Times

Ugly case numbers, busy hospitals, shuttering businesses, mounting death tolls and a deadly virus traveling through the air from face to maskless face. Seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s beginning to feel a lot like March again in the Land of Lincoln.

Continue reading “Dr. Ngozi Ezike | Nigerian-American head of Illinois Public Health cries while reporting increase in Covid 19 infections” →
Uncategorized

Bam Adebayo | Maimi Heat’s Power forward is embracing his name and his Nigerian heritage

BY MARC J. SPEARS | Undefeated

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Miami Heat center Edrice Femi “Bam” Adebayo got an unexpected phone call in June just weeks before entering the NBA bubble. It was from his half-brother, who delivered the news that their father, John Adebayo, had died in Nigeria.

Continue reading “Bam Adebayo | Maimi Heat’s Power forward is embracing his name and his Nigerian heritage” →
Uncategorized

Nigerian-Americans Start Project to Lobby Congress and to Push for Sanctions Against the Nigerian Government in Response to the Killings of Peaceful protesters.

NEWS PROVIDED BY Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. 

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Leaders from the newly formed October 20th, 2020 Project (The Project) have engaged Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington, DC-based policy and advocacy advisory group, to gain U.S. Congressional and executive branch support for the End SARS and anti-corruption movement currently happening in Nigeria.

Continue reading “Nigerian-Americans Start Project to Lobby Congress and to Push for Sanctions Against the Nigerian Government in Response to the Killings of Peaceful protesters.” →
Uncategorized

Nigeria’s #EndSARS protesters draw inspiration from Black Lives Matter

By Philip Obaji Jr. | USA TODAY

For weeks, young Nigerians rallying behind the hashtag #EndSARS have filled the streets of major cities across Nigeria demanding the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit that has in recent years been publicly criticized for extortion of citizens, kidnappings, extrajudicial killings and illegal arrests.

Continue reading “Nigeria’s #EndSARS protesters draw inspiration from Black Lives Matter” →
Communities

‘End SARS’ Protestors Rally at Dallas City Hall

By Meredith Yeomans | NBCDFW

There is growing outrage over the shooting deaths of peaceful protestors in Nigeria. Nearly 70 people have died during two weeks of demonstrations against police brutality. The unrest set off protests in Dallas last Saturday in a show of solidarity with those fighting a battle they say transcends borders.

Continue reading “‘End SARS’ Protestors Rally at Dallas City Hall” →
Politics

Ali Velshi | Kenyan-born broadcaster tells poignant family tale in bid to urge Americans to vote

Ali Velshi is a Ismaili Muslim of Gujarati Indian descent who was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His family moved to Canada in 1971. Over the years has worked diligently and climbed the corporate ladder to host his own show on MSNBC called Velshi & Ruhle, complete with an office on the esteemed NBC headquarters in New York.

Continue reading “Ali Velshi | Kenyan-born broadcaster tells poignant family tale in bid to urge Americans to vote” →
Uncategorized

Ghanaian-Americans Demand Policymakers to Approve Critical Coronavirus Relief for Americans

By PR.com | Benzinga

Washington, DC, Ghana Diaspora Public Affairs Collective (GHPAC) extends the following statement regarding the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (“HEROES Act”):

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Uncategorized

Nile dam: Ethiopian-Americans told to vote Trump out of office

By P.M. News

Ethiopians are urging their diaspora kith and kin, about 460,000 of them in America to vote out US President Trump in next month’s election. The Ethiopian rage against Trump was triggered by Trump’s comment Friday, suggesting that Egypt, which lies downstream, will blow up Ethiopia’s  Nile dam, costing $4.6 billion.

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Politics

Congolese among New Americans who praise Trump at Nashua event

By Andrew Sylvia | Manchester Ink Link

NASHUA, N.H. – Donald Trump is well known for his policies aimed at limiting immigration. But in spite of this, he still has a  group of supporters who have migrated to this country who gathered in Nashua last week for an event highlighting the Trump campaign’s diversity.

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Politics

U.S. Presidential Elections: Young Egyptian Americans Choose Between Fates

By NORAN ALAA MORSI | Egyptian Street

With identities strewn across the Atlantic, a young Egyptian American father sends their U.S. presidential election’s vote early in the mail. Another votes online through email in Cairo. A 20-something in a town deep in Indiana mails in their ballot. In Washington D.C, a dual citizen questions her decision to vote but does it anyway.

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Communities

#EndSARS | first-generation Nigerian Americans speak out and protest in Houston

By Re’Chelle Turner | Click2Houston

HOUSTON – More than 50 people have been killed, along with at least 18 security forces, in another deadly day in Nigeria. The violence erupted during peaceful protests that were meant to bring to light rampant abuses at the hands of police. There have been marches and rallies in solidarity with the Nigerian people worldwide.

Continue reading “#EndSARS | first-generation Nigerian Americans speak out and protest in Houston” →
Policy

US foreign policy toward Africa: An African citizen perspective

E. Gyimah-Boadi, Landry Signé, and Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny | Brookings Institution

Despite the Trump administration’s announced December 2018 Africa strategy, a significant gap between the lofty blueprint and the concrete actions needed to turn it into reality remains. U.S. interests in the region are being increasingly undermined as China, Russia, and other powers move to fill the policy spaces left vacant by the United States and other Western nations.

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Diplomacy

US sanctions on Africa need overhaul: experts

By Uta Steinwehr | DW

Washington plans to lift sanctions on Sudan in return for compensation for terror victims, making the African country a pawn in the US election campaign. Experts say this approach to sanctions in Africa needs to change.

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Sports

From Olajuwon to Embiid: Africa in the NBA

 By Matthew Kirwin –| The Southern Times

Thirteen Africa-born men play in the NBA today, nearly enough to fill a team roster. That roster would include Cameroon stars Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam. Both men command impressive contracts and substantial social media followings.

Continue reading “From Olajuwon to Embiid: Africa in the NBA” →