Nigerian-Microsoft deal revealed

IT APPEARS that the Nigerian government did very well out of its deal to buy 3,000 classmate PCs which were supposed to be packed with Linux software.

Yesterday we reported how Mandriva was fuming after the Nigerians backed out of a deal to have its software running on 3,000 classmate computers. Instead it was installing Windows software. The question was how did Microsoft give the Nigerians an offer that Mandriva could not match?

The key to the deal was the fact that that the software was being delivered on Intel Classmate computers. It turns out that the 3,000 classmate computers were delivered to the Nigerian government for free.

Intel has just announced that it has donated the lappies to Nigeria for nothing as part of a move to train 150,000 new teachers in the populous African nation.

The laptops will go to 200 schools, which will now become out-of-hours community centers, so all the locals can get to use the high-tech, low-power PCs.

So why then did the Nigerians switch from the free Mandriva software if it could have had the whole project for nothing? This would be particularly strange when a few days ago the head of Microsoft Nigeria Gerald Ilukwe said that the country did not need any free software saying that Microsoft was "not a helicopter dropping relief materials; we're there in the field."

It appeared that Microsoft offered to use its Partners in Learning programme, which helps train teachers in computer skills, and the Nepad eSchools project, which supplies schools across Africa with computers, software, training, networking, connectivity, maintenance and support. This worked jolly well with what Intel had in mind in giving the free PCs.

So far Microsoft has not said how much it is charging the Nigerians for its software, but chances that if it is part of a VoleWare training programme it will not be much.

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