Nigeria has officially ordered and paid for one million of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) devices, according to the Nigerian Vanguard newspaper. 

The deal is the first actual order for the project that aims to provide Linux-powered laptops to children in developing economies.

Production of the devices will start once five to 10 million have been ordered and paid for, according to the OLPC website. 

OLPC deals directly with governments in China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria and Thailand. Other nations are said to be close to placing orders.

The computer is commonly referred to as the $100 laptop, but the first units are likely to cost around $140.

The laptops are designed for children and are 'ruggedised' to allow them to operate in dusty environments.

Using a central server and internet connection in a school, children will be able to go online from home through a mesh network. The laptops include a hand crank to charge the battery when away from a power connection.

The laptop is powered by an AMD processor and runs the Linux operating system.

Intel launched a competing $400 Eduwise laptop earlier this year. Both Intel and Microsoft have criticised the OLPC project.

Intel chairman Craig Barrett dismissed the project as a "$100 gadget ", and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates criticised the small screen and hand crank. 

• A video demonstration of the first working OLPC prototype is available on the Silicon Valley Sleuth blog.