Western Union (www.WesternUnion.com), a leader in global cross-border, cross-currency money movement, announced today the opening of an office in Ivory Coast, reinforcing the company’s on-going commitment to service excellence by getting even closer to customers.

Western Union has been providing fast, reliable and convenient money transfer services in Ivory Coast since 1995, connecting customers to over half a million locations in more than 200 countries and territories. Western Union services are currently available in Ivory Coast at more than 1,600 agent locations and via bank accounts and mobile wallets.

To commemorate the opening of the new office premises, which is located in Rue du Dr. Crozet, Immeuble XL Abidjan Plateau, the Western Union leadership team - Odilon Almeida, President, Global Money Transfer; Alexandru Badulescu, General Manager, Middle East and Africa and Awa Gueye Ba, Regional Director, West Africa, visited Ivory Coast.

“Western Union is committed to Ivory Coast. We are uniquely positioned at the intersection of digital and retail and are proud to be investing our resources to support and serve the local economy and customer base. This office will serve as the regional hub for West Africa,” said Odilon Almeida, President, Global Money Transfer.

According to World Bank[1] (www.WorldBank.org/en/country/cotedivoire/overview), Côte d’Ivoire’s economic growth is ranked among the most robust on the African continent. Additionally, greater numbers of West African migrants appear to be seeking opportunities in emerging economies on the continent such as the Ivory Coast, according to the Migration and Remittances Brief by World Bank [2] (https://goo.gl/DBY73E).

“Over the years we have connected Ivorian diaspora to their families and loved ones. Ivory Coast is a flourishing economy and in line with our strategy to connect digital with the physical, combining our online presence with our retail distribution network, we are very pleased to be setting up our office in-market, affirming our commitment to the Ivorian community and our agents,” added Almeida.

Western Union has operated in Africa for over 20 years. With an extensive network of over 40,000 Agent locations, many in remote and hard to reach areas, and payout capabilities to billions of bank accounts and mobile wallets worldwide, Western Union serves millions of senders and receivers and continues to invest in providing much needed access to the people of Africa.