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First Distribution appointed as first Canonical distributor in Africa

Johannesburg, 16 Mar 2026
Expanding access to enterprise-grade open source infrastructure.
Expanding access to enterprise-grade open source infrastructure.

First Distribution is excited to announce its partnership with Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu and provider of open source security, support and services. First Distribution positions itself as a leading value-added distributor of complex ICT solutions, delivering world-class technology offerings to enterprise and SME markets through a strong network of trusted resellers and partners. With this partnership, First Distribution is becoming the first official distributor for Canonical solutions dedicated to Africa.

This strategic partnership enables First Distribution to distribute and support Canonical solutions across the continent, expanding access to enterprise-grade open source infrastructure, security and support services for organisations of every size.

Strategic milestone for Africa’s tech ecosystem

With deep expertise across data centre, cloud, networking, security, virtualisation and middleware, First Distribution empowers its reseller ecosystem to confidently take complex solutions to market.

As the distributor of Canonical in Africa, First Distribution is uniquely positioned to:

  • Accelerate enterprise open source adoption.
  • Deliver certified Canonical Ubuntu solutions with local insight.
  • Provide enablement to partners.

This collaboration reinforces First Distribution’s commitment to equipping African organisations with secure, scalable and cost-effective technologies. Together, First Distribution and Canonical aim to help organisations across Africa innovate with confidence, reduce total cost of ownership and build resilient digital infrastructure.

Canonical Ubuntu Pro: Enterprise-grade open source

At the centre of this partnership is Ubuntu Pro, the enterprise subscription within the Canonical portfolio, offering:

  • Long-term security maintenance.
  • Expanded coverage of open source package security.
  • Compliance support for regulated industries.
  • Mission-critical support.

Through Ubuntu Pro, organisations gain access to enterprise-ready solutions that ensure resilience, compliance and performance across their IT environments.

First Distribution will provide advisory services, subscription management and ongoing support for Canonical partners across Africa – bridging global innovation with local market requirements and ensuring partners can deliver these solutions with confidence.

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First Distribution

First Distribution is Africa’s leading value added distributor of complex ICT solutions, serving Enterprise and SME markets through a broad portfolio of global technology brands. The company enables partners to deliver high value solutions across datacentre, cloud, security, networking, virtualisation, and software, backed by deep technical expertise and a strong partner ecosystem.

Canonical

Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, provides open source security, support and services. Our portfolio covers critical systems, from the smallest devices to the largest clouds, from the kernel to containers, from databases to AI. With customers that include top tech brands, emerging startups, governments and home users, Canonical delivers trusted open source for everyone.

Learn more at https://canonical.com/