According to a Wall Street Journal piece published on 28 October 2008, Microsoft has engaged in an assiduous campaign to outflank Linux by courting 13 African countries to use its software in government ministries and public schools.
Critics say Microsoft’s efforts to outflank Linux are steering cash-strapped governments away from the cheapest, most sensible solution. They say Microsoft has been locking African government agencies into costly, multiyear agreements to license its software. “African governments cannot afford long-term licensing contracts,” says Nnenna Nwakanma of the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa, a Ghanaian-based nonprofit. The money, she says, would be better spent on training people to use computers and fostering homegrown software development.