A MEETING of leaders from southern Africa ended on Tuesday with several business projects dubbed “smart partnerships” set to be immediately implemented. But for the countries to pursue the “smart partnership” concept, an environment of peace and stability must prevail, said a Zimbabwean minister. The participants told the African governments during the closing session of the three-day conference that they have to remove bureaucracy and other impediments if practical and successful project implementation is to be achieved. The meeting agreed that the greatest and common challenges the region faced are poverty, unemployment and the AIDS pandemic.