By 2011, Windows 7 will be available in languages such as Sesotho sa Leboa, Setswana, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Afrikaans, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, kiSwahili and Amharic.

"This is about technology access in Africa in a familiar context and language that breaks down the barriers," said Mark Matunga, citizenship manager at Microsoft Eastern and Southern Africa.

Technology in Africa has tended to favor users with English or French language skills, and those who do not understand those languages are considered illiterate, regardless of whether they can read and write in their local languages. Availability in local languages is likely to lead to greater inclusion.

"This will ensure greater inclusion by allowing content generation and editing in local languages; users will be better able to express themselves and ideas through blogs, websites, news, and emails," said Francis Hook, manager at IDC East Africa.

The language interface packs raise the thorny issue of software piracy, which is rampant in Africa. It's not obvious that users will stop buying pirated software if legitimate software is available in their languages, but the move allows genuine software users to access updates and other special features.