Microsoft strikes partnership deal with UN in Africa

At the ongoing African Union summit on ICT, Microsoft has signed an agreement with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa under which it will provide software, technical support and software development.

The company denied, however, that its partnerships with governmental and nongovernmental organizations are calculated to lock users to Microsoft products.

"We have no intention of locking users to Microsoft products; the software is interoperable and we would be happy to have other software providers as part of the partnership," said Cheick Diarra, Microsoft Africa chairman.

The UNECA is expected to use Microsoft products and services to enhance policy areas and education, and establish strong architectural networks within African countries.

"Technology is a powerful tool to help drive investment competitiveness and growth on the African continent. Through the partnership, we aim to strengthen Africa's access to ICT tools to build modern economies," said Abdoulie Janneh, UN undersecretary general and executive secretary of the UNECA.

Microsoft is working with major African organizations like the Africa Union, Africa Development Bank, Economic Community of West African States and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). It is also working with several ministries of education in Africa.

In a continent where piracy of Microsoft software is high, Diarra hopes investment in local software developers will motivate nations to protect the intellectual property of their local developers and in the end safeguard Microsoft's intellectual property.