The U.S. recently lifted sanctions which now allow the importation of software and ICT products to Sudan, CCTV Africa reported. Activists have been opposed to the bans which forced many to find illegal copies of often-used programs like Microsoft Office. Officials say that the lifting of the ICT importation ban is a step in the right direction to ease other communications-related sanctions.

“We expect the impact to be very positive, because most programs and applications that we use in Sudan — and in all the world — are American programs,” Ahmed Kabani, an electronics store owner said in the report.