Smart Partnership

CPTM’s SMART Partnership is our unique philosophy and way of bringing together people who share an informed belief in what technology can do to improve the lives of millions through socio-economic transformation.

From within the Commonwealth we bring together Presidents and Prime Ministers, business, leaders, academia and labour. From beyond the Commonwealth, we bring world experts and representatives from successful fast growth economies.

“The need for Smart Partnership dialogue among civilizations is long overdue….helping us deal with some of the headaches and dilemnas confronted by humanity.”

HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,
President of Uganda

HE Dr Sam Nujoma, Founding President of Namibia

The Smart Partnership Movement

CPTM has created a world class network of leaders in government, labour, business, research, and civil society. Individuals are often drawn from the highest levels of their profession, and include young entrepreneurs and future youth leaders, known as the 29’ers (a reference to the age of people born on Feb 29th who theoretically have a birthday only every fourth year).

At our Dialogues everyone offers their experience and counsel, free of charge in a ‘good will’/‘no fees’ environment.

This is what makes us so different to others.

Seeking the best

We seek to extract the best, and to learn from cutting-edge science, as well as from cultural tradition. We seek pragmatic solutions which will benefit both the host nation and all Smart participants.

The purpose and spirit are the same at our smaller theme-focussed so-called ‘Think-Tanking’ events. It is this unique philosophy and approach which has characterized CPTM’s history

Mihaela Smith, late CEO of CPTM and Ombeni Sefue, Chief Secretary to the Government of Tanzania, 2013 Dialogue in Dar- Es-Salaam

Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia

The participation of High Growth economies

CPTM also invites leaders from economies which have enjoyed rapid economic growth. As such, Malaysia was a founding inspiration.

Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamed, then Prime Minister of Malaysia, was successful in transforming the Malaysian economy through bold policy measures, technology innovation and a new partnership with business. He also set an example with a Smart win-win approach to relations among Malaysia’s different ethnic communities.

Dr Mahathir regularly hosted CPTM Dialogues and his Chief Scientific Adviser, Tan Sri Dr Omar A. Rahman, one of CPTM’s founders,
remains its Chairman to this day.

Dialogue Protocols

All key stakeholders, who understand the need for better management of technology, are engaged; government, business and labour.
Everyone agrees to abide by the Smart Partnership Principles that they will seek to ‘prosper thy neighbour,’ and to search for ‘win-win’ solutions.
Unnecessary protocols are dispensed with, in order to raise the profile of ideas regardless of who they came from – hence all delegates are treated as “equal Smart Partners”.
No one brings prepared speeches or policy positions reflecting external constituencies. We simply seek to discover and discuss the most pragmatic solution to the issue at hand.
News media are not present during the dialoguing, to encourage free spontaneous debate.

Mihaela Smith, late CEO of CPTM and President Chissano of Mozambique, Tanzania 2013.

HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda

Original Leaders

In addition to Dr Mahathir and Tan Sri Omar, the Smart Partnership approach was pioneered with the support of a key number of African leaders.

Principally amongst these were HE Sir Ketumile Masire, former President of Botswana, HE Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of Mozambique, HE Dr Sam Nujoma, former President of Namibia, HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda, currently Patron of the Smart Partnership Movement , and HE Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania who hosted the last Smart Partnership Dialogue in Dar-es-Salam.

From South Africa, since majority rule, all four ANC leaders to occupy the office of President have attended, at one time or another, a Smart Partnership Dialogue.

This includes their Excellencies Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa, the current President.

HE Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa

The 10 Principles of Smart Partnership

Prosper Thy Neighbour:
This is our over-arching principle. We see it as the best route to a win-win outcome for all parties.
Pragmatism:
The Dialogue is a deliberately neutral forum. We do not seek to impose agendas but rather help countries take the best-informed decision for themselves.
Meritocracy:
Formal protocols are suspended, and constituencies left behind, so ideas are treated on their intrinsic merit, not on the status of the individual presenting them.
Kindness & Respect:
This sets a tone and encourages participants to be safely open in their conversations and opinions, sharing and learning from each other’s ideas and experiences.
Equity & Fair Play:
All parties need to feel convinced about equity and fair play in their interactions; without this, there can be no win-win outcome.
Transparency:
Transparency is necessary to foster trust: Smart Partnerships cannot thrive and succeed if one or more of the parties feels that essential information is being hidden from them.
Trust:
Trust grows from experience in working together, beginning with collaboration on smaller matters; and growing as momentum builds towards resolving more difficult issues.
Shared Vision:
A Smart Partnership is formed and sustained on the basis of a shared vision around a transaction or project outcome; without this, there cannot be a meaningful partnership.
Longevity & Reciprocity:
Outcomes determined in a Smart Partnership Dialogue or other event may need time and a longer-term engagement to yield their full benefits. In these cases all parties are encouraged to be open to exploring ongoing arrangements, even if at the start they are limited to information sharing. Everything should be a on Fair Play, and Win-Win basis.
Cultural Diversity:
Smart Partners believe that differences in language and culture are transcended by personal contacts, where strengths derived from different cultural perspectives can bring new insights and deepen understanding between participants.

Smart Partnership