26th August, 2010
Reports say telecommunications giant, Globacom Limited, and the Confederation of African Football, CAF are set to renew the sponsorship agreement for the annual African Football Awards, five years after both parties signed a historic agreement in Paris , France .
The official signing ceremony for the extension of the partnership will be held at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo , Egypt, on Friday, August 27.
The decision to renew the deal was announced in December, 2009, after both parties expressed satisfaction with the partnership which has seen the awards, known as the Glo-CAF Awards, listed in world football’s annual events calendar.
Globacom’s investment in the awards ceremony has elevated it to a world class event attracting dignitaries from FIFA, UEFA and other continental football bodies. The 2005 edition which was held in Abuja was attended by the former President of Barcelona FC of Spain , Juan La Porta who accompanied Samuel Eto’O to the ceremony. FIFA President, Sepp Blatter and UEFA President, Mitchel Platini, were among world soccer personalities that graced the 2008 edition in Lagos , Nigeria .
The event has also attracted government leaders including former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Ghanaian presidents, John Kuffour and John Jerry Rawlings, and former Togolese Prime Minister, Komlan Mally.
Mrs. Omodele Sarafa-Yusuf, Head, Globacom’s Sponsored Assets Unit, said the company has invested over $10m in rights fees and organisation of the award ceremony in the past five years, and succeeded in elevating it to a world class event. “Globacom has added glamour to this event and our feedback from our guests is that it is an experience they long to enjoy many timesâ€, remarked Sarafa-Yusuf.