Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer is on a tour of Europe and Africa that will see him visit five different countries at the rate of one per day. Ballmer's visits come together with the inking of new partnerships between Microsoft and governments and local NGOs, designed to fuel technology adoption with a strong focus on Africa. The second annual African Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Best Practices Forum was the stage where Ballmer empathized the future benefits of an alliance signed with the government of Angola, as well as an increasingly intimate collaboration with the European Union, that would result in accelerated social and economic development for Africa.

"During the next 10 years, a new wave of technology innovations will make computing more affordable, more powerful and more accessible than ever," Ballmer explained. "These advances will make it possible to deliver the benefits of information technology much more broadly across Africa. At Microsoft, we are committed to working in close partnership with African governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and others to facilitate e-government initiatives, promote technology access and capacity building, and share regional and global best practices."

Following the second annual ICT Best Practices Forum in Burkina Faso, Ballmer's tour will also feature Morocco, Italy, Belgium, Spain being the last country on the agenda. The Redmond company's CEO is also prepared to announce a new Microsoft Innovation Center as well as the tailoring of MSN to African regions. However, Ballmer has underlined the critical nature of driving the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies in Africa.

"We should not forget that investment in ICT can lead to major advances in reaching the UN's Millennium Development Goals. My objective, and the goal of the European Commission, is to help bridge the digital divide in all corners of Africa and to integrate the African economy into the global market. I'd like to thank and commend the government of Burkina Faso and Microsoft for hosting the ICT Best Practices Forum towards this shared aim," said Louis Michel, European Commissioner responsible for Development and Humanitarian Aid.