The last words of the explorer David Livingstone, recorded on his tomb in Westminster Abbey, spoke of Africa as "this open sore of the world" and invoked a blessing on anyone who helped heal it. A similar moral tone characterised the presentation by Tony Blair yesterday of the hefty report from his Commission for Africa, recalling his repeated description of the continent as "a scar on the conscience of the world". Africa, however, does not need pity but concrete action to enable its people to enjoy better services and work their way out of poverty.

The year-long commission has done a lot to stimulate debate and concentrate minds on the complex sets of issues that have let Africa drift behind the rest of the developing world. The report itself is eloquent, structured, wide-ranging, well-argued, passionate and committed. But Africa has seen too many reports, framework programmes, action plans and promises come and go. Prospects for a decisive new direction do not hang on the quality of analysis but on political will.