Vol. 3 No. 1 & 2 (2019): Zambia Journal of Library & Information Science (ZAJLIS) 48 Adoption and Use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Globally: An Overview and Analysis of Selected Countries Tuesday Bwalya tuesdaybwalya1@gmail.com/ bwalya.tuesday@unza.zm Dr. Akakandelwa Akakandelwa aakakandelwa@gmail.com/ akakandelwa@unza.zm Department of Library and Information Science The University of Zambia Dr. Milena Dobreva-McPherson milena.dobreva@gmail.com/ m.dobreva@ucl.ac.uk Associate Professor in Library and Information Studies University College London (UCL) Qatar Abstract Institutions, individuals and countries are migrating from commercial software (CS) to FOSS mostly because of two reasons: the increase of costs of purchase and maintenance of commercial software against the backdrop of global economic meltdown, and the increased commitment to open content and technologies in key domains such as research and education. In this regard, some governments have implemented policies that compel government departments, public institutions, and quasi-government institutions to adopt FOSS. The purpose of this article is to summarise the outcomes of a study of an international team of researchers that explores FOSS adoption and policies in some selected countries across the globe. The study is a desk research and qualitative descriptive in nature. Literature on 13 countries’ FOSS policies and adoption was collected and analysed in order to accurately describe the adoption of FOSS in the selected countries. The study findings show that many countries have adopted FOSS because it is less costly in comparison to commercial software. Furthermore, the study identified that countries have approached FOSS policy formulation and implementation in varied ways. In Europe, countries such as Germany, France, Spain, and Sweden have formulated effective FOSS policies that have influenced many public institutions to migrate to FOSS. In North America, the study reveals that the United States of America (USA) does not have a Federal policy on FOSS. However, some states have formulated policies that support the use of FOSS. Despite not having Federal policy on FOSS, some Federal departments in the USA use FOSS. In South America, Brazil has been found to be a leader in adopting FOSS; the Federal government of Brazil launched its FOSS policy in 2003. This has resulted in many state institutions adopting FOSS. In Asia, governments of China, South Korea and India have launched policies making it mandatory for all state institutions to use FOSS. In Africa, some countries have formulated policies to support FOSS; these include South Africa and Tanzania. FOSS policies in these two African countries give preference to FOSS in the procurement of software in public institutions but these countries still rely on commercial software which is too expensive for their economies to sustain. Key words: Free and Open Source Software, Software Policies, Public Institutions