KUALA LUMPUR, June 28- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will head a Malaysian delegation to the Global Smart Partnership Dialogue in Tanzania from today.
The Foreign Ministry in a statement today said the prime minister would be accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, and officers from the Prime Minister’s Office and Foreign Ministry.
“Malaysia’s presence at the four-day Dialogue themed, ‘Leveraging Technology For Africa’s Socio-Economic Transformation’, shows the country’s commitment to addressing international issues, especially issues that are of importance to the African continent.
“The prime minister’s participation in this year’s Dialogue will also help to forge closer links between Malaysia and the participating African countries, besides enhancing bilateral relations between Malaysia and Tanzania,” the statement said.
The “Malaysian Technology, Products and Services” exhibition, participated by 28 Malaysian government agencies and companies, will be held on the sidelines of the Dialogue.
The Global Smart Partnership Dialogue was launched in 1995 when Malaysia hosted the first Langkawi International Dialogue (LID).
The Dialogue serves as a platform for smart partners, including heads of government, business leaders, scientists, academicians, student leaders and others to meet and discuss ideas and experiences related to Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and how STI can be leveraged to boost socio-economic transformation of Africa.
In the last 18 years, the hosting of the Dialoge has alternated between Malaysia and countries from the African region, with the last Dialogue in Africa convened in Uganda in 2009 and the last LID held in Putrajaya in 2011.
The Dialogue this time is co-organised by the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM), London.
– BERNAMA
