Microsoft and World Bank partner to boost development in Africa

5 February 2010 [MediaGlobal]: The World Bank and Microsoft announced this week that they have formed a new partnership to boost multiple areas of development in Africa. Utilizing World Bank expertise in development and Microsoft’s innovative technology, the partnership is expected to improve technological, educational, and trade development. Additionally, the partnership will build a better system of disaster-readiness for countries vulnerable to climate-related and other natural disasters.

Claudia M. Toth, Senior Communications Director at Microsoft, told MediaGlobal,“As a company, for more than three decades, as we have grown, so has our commitment to global and local development.” The new agreement with the World Bank, which originated at a recent African heads of state summit, builds upon a long-standing relationship of cooperation with not just the World Bank, but also multiple United Nations agencies. In the past two decades, Microsoft has cooperated with the UN’s Environmental Programme, Development Programme, High Commissioner for Human Rights, and International Telecommunication Union. In each case, the international corporation has assisted the agencies in their duties by providing technology and assistance in implementing that technology, be it information sharing or communications.

Toth emphasized that Microsoft’s technology could bring tremendous value to development efforts, saying “our efforts are guided by the principle that Microsoft’s expertise in information and communication technologies (ICT) can play an important role in regional and local development challenges.” For example, Microsoft will help implement a system, using its connective technology, that allows for widespread information sharing on natural disaster data and response strategies, as well as the development of an early-warning system. In terms of education, the new partnership will continue Microsoft’s practices of donating funding, technology, software, and expertise to local communities to make education more easily accessible.

The efforts of companies like Microsoft are helping to fulfill a global goal for development: the eighth Millennium Development Goal calls for a global partnership for development. Toth added, “As a member of the multilateral partnership team that works closely with the UN, we are very proud of the great work we have done in learning how to actualize MDG number eight.” Ryan Dicovitsky