Africa’s partners must ‘walk the talk’

African leaders have taken firm action to tackle their continent’s problems, Mr. Jakaya Kikwete, chairperson of the African Union (AU) and president of the United Republic of Tanzania, told a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on Africa’s development needs. But because it is the world’s poorest continent, Africa does not have enough resources of its own to adequately enhance the well being of its people or the productivity of its economies. Africa’s development partners, especially the wealthy industrialized countries, have repeatedly pledged to increase their support for Africa’s own efforts, Mr. Kikwete noted. But not all of those promises have been delivered. “Now is the time for friends of Africa in the developed world to walk the talk.”