Kampala — UGANDA is among African countries that are benefiting from a $750m grant from Microsoft for development of information and communications technology (ICT). "Uganda has been one the benefiting countries in Africa when we released a grant of $500m five years ago.

It will continue to be a beneficiary in the just-concluded extended five-year programme that would cost $250m," the company's senior vice-president in charge of emerging markets development, Orlando Ayala, said.

He was one of the speakers who presented papers on the theme: "Emerging Markets: Is There a Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid?" at a Global Knowledge Partnership conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Ayala said under the programme, Microsoft aims at availing sustainable social and economic growth opportunities for the next five billion people worldwide.

"We have decided to consider a strategy that moves forward with innovations, principles of relevant content, a wider broadband and making ICTs affordable for all," he said.

"We have created a group of technical experts who are making sure we get the youths and women as the most beneficiaries."

The Malaysian deputy premier, Dato Najib Tun Razak, said: "There are still too many poor nations, which are unable to take advantage of ICT."