Ria Pinto, general manager and technology leader, IBM SA.

IBM's software portfolio will be available in 18 African nations through the Amazon Web Service (AWS) marketplace, which is expanding internationally to 92 countries.

The company says its digital catalogue, which contains thousands of product listings from independent software providers, makes it simple to identify, test, buy, and deploy AWS-compatible software.

IBM announced in a statement that the software will now be available in 18 African countries, namely: Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda.

The business stated that the addition of these nations will make procurement easier for clients, streamline purchasing, and create new efficiencies, while also allowing them to leverage their AWS expenditure for IBM software purchases.

Ria Pinto, general manager and technology leader, IBM SA said: “By availing IBM’s portfolio of software on AWS Marketplace, we are expanding the points of entry for local organisations.”

According to the company, the expanded development gives clients greater access to IBM's AI and data technologies, which are available for purchase from a portfolio of 44 listings and 29 SaaS solutions.

Technologies available include components of the watsonx AI and data platform, which enable organisations to design, grow, and manage AI workloads.

Watsonx.data, a data store built on an open data lakehouse architecture, and Watsonx.ai, a next-generation enterprise studio for AI creators, are available on AWS Marketplace, together with two of IBM's AI assistants, watsonx Assistant and watsonx Orchestrate.

IBM announced that Watsonx.governance will be available soon.

Matt Yanchyshyn, GM, AWS Marketplace and Partner Services at AWS, said: "This expanded collaboration between AWS and IBM reflects our shared commitment to empowering customers with the tools and resources they need to succeed in today's fast-paced environment."

Other software available includes IBM’s flagship database Db2 Cloud Pak for Data, as well as a portfolio of automation software including Apptio, Turbonomic and Instana, and the IBM Security and Sustainability software portfolios, which are all built on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS.

IBM said it is also launching 15 new IBM Consulting professional services and assets, which have been exclusively designed for AWS, on the cloud marketplace.