The German-African Initiative for Development and Integration gUG, which started work as a non-profit social organisation in January 2023, supports new comers, including refugees, asylum-seekers, students and others, from Africa as they settle down in Germany.

Our founder, Femi Awoniyi, a practising journalist, has been reporting on the issues of migration and flight as well as African community life in Germany and Europe for about 25 years.

Through his work as the publisher/editor of The African Courier, Femi has become well acquainted with the common challenges faced by Africans in Germany in the process of settling down. Moreover, Femi regularly takes part in seminars, workshops and conferences on integration issues.

An active member of the African community, Femi is currently the President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany e.V. and Vice-Chairman of the Central Council of the African Community in Germany e.V.

Femi has been offering integration support on a voluntary basis for more than twenty years through his participation in projects and initiatives in collaboration with non-profit community organisations and initiatives. Most recently, he co-founded the ‘Help for Africans from Ukraine in Germany’ (HAUG) initiative to support Africans fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Femi established GAIDI to pool his experiences and knowledge for the development and implementation of integration support programmes to assist refugees, asylum-seekers, students and other new comers in the country.

Femi believes that successful integration is true empowerment as it enables migrants to develop themselves optimally and fulfil their dreams. They are therefore able to contribute to the development of the country.

Another focus of GAIDI is the promotion of a culture of volunteering in the African community in Germany, encouraging self-help of one helping the other.

GAIDI also promotes a greater engagement of the diaspora in the development of African countries and better German-African relations.