Malaysian Prime Minister Abdul Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor Mr. Mahattir Mohamed gave a stamp of authority to the International Smart Partnership Dialogue by being the first dignitaries to arrive for the four-day conference. 

Heads of state and government started arriving for the conference on the morning of November 9 with activities starting later in the afternoon at the National Convention Centre in Maseru.

Others who have already arrived include former Mozambique leader Joachim Chissano and Namibia's Prime Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba.

Exploration of special market opportunities in the Southern African region, and arts and culture will dominate proceedings of the Dialogue, which ends on Saturday.

Malaysia’s importance lies in the fact that the Smart Partnership concept grew out of a Dialogue among members of the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM) and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) in Kuala Lumpur in 1993. This led to the first Dialogue on Smart Partnership in 1995 in Langkawi, Malaysia.

09 November 2005