During January and February 2006, the continent will embrace its passion for football through the MTN Africa Cup of Nations being hosted in Egypt. Western Union, a worldwide leader in money transfer services, is proud to announce that they are once again a sponsor. It will be the third time that Western Union has supported the Pan African sporting phenomenon – one of the most important dates in the sporting calendar on the African continent.
Khalid Fellahi, Western Union Regional Vice President for Africa said: ‘We are proud to be able to contribute to this celebration of both Africa and football. Western Union is truly dedicated to the continent with the service being offered in 46 countries across Africa. We have a long history supporting sporting events and it is great to be able to show our support for Africa through our sponsorship of the MTN Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2006.’
Jean Claude Farah, Western Union Regional Vice President for Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan (MEPA) said: ‘Millions of football enthusiasts across the world will have their eyes on Egypt in 2006 and it is a great opportunity to show the world just a few of the things that Africa has to offer. We know how much the African people appreciate the Western Union Money Transfer® service as a means of sending and receiving money from friends and loved ones living and working away from home. Through the sponsorship of the MTN Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2006 we aim to show our support and gratitude to our base of trusted and loyal customers in Africa.’
Paul Foster Western Union Vice President for Marketing EMEA SA said: ‘This tournament will be broadcast around the world, attracting a wide audience of Africans residing outside their home continent. Just as Western Union connects loved ones from around the world, the MTN Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2006 offers the opportunity for Africans living abroad to support their National Team, and reignite their ties with their country of origin and the loved ones who reside there.’
First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) is a leading provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. Serving 4.1 million merchant locations, 1,500 card issuers and millions of consumers, First Data powers the global economy by making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses around the world to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment. The company’s portfolio of services and solutions includes credit, debit, private-label, smart and stored-value card issuing and merchant transaction processing services; money transfer services; money orders; fraud protection and authentication solutions; check guarantee and verification services through TeleCheck; as well as Internet commerce and mobile solutions. Western Union and its subsidiary, Orlandi Valuta, together make up one of the world’s largest money transfer networks with approximately 242,000 Agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories. The company’s STAR Network offers PIN-secured debit acceptance at approximately 1.7 million ATM and retail locations. For more information, visit www.firstdata.com.
