René Stegmann
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African Fact Sheets – Relocation Africa

Relocation Africa developed some basic information pertinent for expatriates who are considering relocating into a new country in AFRICA.  It is a document which will guide or trigger thoughts for a family relocating to a new country.  These Fact Sheets are free and a great addition to the information Relocation Africa shares with our clients at no cost.  The countries we currently provide these fact sheets are:

Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

We would be happy to provide these fact sheets to you please email us at info@relocationafrica.com and request a country fact sheet.

Herewith a Sample of Ghana.

Ghana Fact Sheet
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Andrew Stegmann

Expat Zimbabweans remit $1bn back home

zimbabwe_2272383bHarare – Expat Zimbabweans living and working in other countries such as South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States remitted nearly $1bn back home in 2015, accounting for nearly half of foreign inflows into the cash-starved economy.

Zimbabwe is battling a liquidity crunch that has been worsened by growing weakness in the currencies of major trading partners, the South African rand and Chinese yuan.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor, John Mangudya said on Thursday that there has however been an increase in instances of illegal externalisation of funds by both individuals and companies.

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René Stegmann

10 things you need to know about registering as an overseas voter

 

  1. UK nationals who have been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years can register as an overseas elector, to be able to vote in UK Parliamentary General Elections, UK-wide referendums, and European Parliamentary elections.

 

  1. At the 2015 General Election there were almost 106,000 overseas electors on the register, three times the number that were on the register ahead of the previous general election in 2010 and the highest number of overseas voters registered ever!

 

  1. Overseas Voter Registration Day is on Thursday 4 February 2016 – take five minutes to visit the online registration site, and let others know too. This is a day of activity to encourage voter registration amongst UK nationals living overseas, led by the UK Electoral Commission and supported by expat community hubs and embassies and consulates from around the world.

 

  1. You can apply to register to vote in five minutes at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

 

  1. With the date of the referendum as yet unknown, it’s best to register sooner rather than later so you can be sure you’re registered in time. It is important to remember if you are not registered you can’t vote in the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union when it takes place.

 

  1. You will need to know your National Insurance number and date of birth, and have your passport to hand if you have one. If you don’t have a National Insurance number you can still register, but you may have to supply more information to show who you are.

 

  1. If you can’t or don’t want to register online, you can still download and post back paper forms. But remember to return your completed form as far in advance of the deadline as possible. The actual deadlines for registering to vote and applying for an absent vote will be set once the date of the referendum is known.

 

  1. You have to sign an annual declaration once you are registered to renew your registration every year. So if you were registered to vote for the 2015 General Election you will have to renew your registration with your local Electoral Registration Officer in the UK or register again.

 

  1. You can choose how you wish to vote. You can vote by post, by proxy (voting by appointing someone you trust to vote on your behalf), or even in person at your polling station.

 

  1. Lots of UK citizens who live overseas might not know that they are still eligible to vote. Pass the message on that your vote matters! #passthemessageon #expat #yourvotematters

René Stegmann

BURKINA FASO (Country risk rating: High); 15 January (Red24)

Australian nationals kidnapped in Baraboule

Two Australian nationals were kidnapped by suspected Islamist militants in the town of Baraboule, located in Burkina Faso’s northern Soum province, on 15 January. Local authorities initially stated that the victims, who were aid workers, were Austrian, but later corrected this to Australian. Details surrounding the abduction are unknown. There is a medium threat of kidnapping in Burkina Faso. As this incident demonstrates, the threat is most acute in the northern border regions of the country, and stems from groups operating along the country’s borders with Mali. These groups, which include al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its affiliates, have demonstrated both the intent and operational capacity to conduct attacks targeting both locals and foreign interests in Burkina Faso’s border areas. Additionally, aid workers are often viewed as high-value targets by these groups. This is due, in part, to the fact that such individuals can be used to extort significant ransom payments from their respective organisations.

Advice: Clients are advised against all non-essential travel within 100km of Burkina Faso’s borders with Mali, in the Sahel region, which includes Baraboule, as well as the Boucle du Mouhoun and Nord regions, due to the elevated risks of kidnapping, terrorism and general insecurity. Persons operating in the aforementioned areas are advised to implement robust security measures at all times and should review and update all travel, residential and personal security measures and evacuation procedures.