We can draw comfort from the fact that marginalised Africa is, at last, at centre stage: Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, attended the African Union summit in Tripoli on Monday, and the Group of Eight summit this week features Africa prominently on the agenda. But why is this important? And what should be done to turn our enhanced sense of urgency into action?

The excellent report of the Commission on Africa is titled “Our Common Interest”. Perhaps this is why we should aid Africa. Princeton Lyman, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, recently argued that there is “a ­growing recognition that you just