Without bold, focused and sustained leadership from Africa’s governments, outside assistance won’t safeguard our people or protect the progress we have made. African business must be an active part of the pact to make the continent work for its people.

It would be easy, faced with the development crisis threatening Africa, to demand that the rest of the world ride to our rescue.

After all, it is not the people of Africa who are responsible for the financial crisis devastating our economies or the climate change that has unleashed floods and storms.

This is an important week for Africa. The latest report from the Africa Progress Panel, that has just been launched details the effect of these twin disasters on Africa.

It is already clear, however, that wherever the blame lies for the crisis, the main responsibility for reducing its effect on Africa lies with the continent’s own leaders.

You don’t have to look further than Mozambique, my own country, to see what’s at stake. Over the past 15 years, it has been one of Africa’s greatest success stories. But the financial crisis, collapse in trade and cuts in overseas investment have dramatically reduced economic growth.

For the moment, the government can continue to fund its much improved health and educational services. The effect at national level will take time to work through. But the effect on families is instant. When you lose your job, there is no redundancy payment, welfare safety net or savings to soften the blow.

SA, where I live, is also suffering from the effects of the global economic meltdown. Across the continent, we are seeing the same story of economic decline threatening solid progress. It is a tragedy that when millions of Africans believed their continent was finally on the right track, this crisis has fallen on our shoulders.

But it is how Africa, in partnership with the international community, reacts to this challenge that will decide whether we continue to go forward or slip back. Our leaders, who have already shown what can be achieved, need to redouble their efforts and work together to consolidate the foundations for Africa’s prosperity.

First, we need urgent progress on improving Africa’s agricultural productivity. Our land is rich but the way we farm is well behind the times. If we learn from the success of others and adapt techniques and crops to our own particular needs and conditions, we have a huge opportunity not just to feed the 900-million Africans but to meet food shortages on other continents.

Climate change, of course, is a real threat to our hopes of improving Africa’s poor record on agriculture. But it also provides big opportunities if Africa takes full advantage, for example, of the clean development mechanism. This new investment can help adapt to the changes in the climate already under way and support vital development initiatives.

But using this money wisely requires more rigorous efforts to root out corruption. Our leaders need to show greater resolve in tackling this cancer. It is not the right laws that are missing. It is the determination to bring to justice those guilty of diverting resources into their own pockets.

The most important single step is to safeguard the independence of the judiciary. We also need to bolster the role of civil society, whose voice is still too often weak and fragmented.

At the same time Africa must itself find a stronger united voice in the international community. We need to negotiate a better deal so that Africa benefits fully from its natural resources. This is the best way to persuade the richer countries to offset the calamitous drop in income Africa is now suffering. Short-term grants, loans and easier credit are important contributors to Africa’s growth.

Africa has reason to be angry at the way it is paying the price for the mistakes and misjudgment of others. But there is no point in simply lamenting our fate.

We need bold leadership from Africa. The international community has also to live up to its responsibilities. If all our leaders rise to the challenge, the result will be a stronger Africa and a better world.

Written by: Graca Machel is a member of the Africa Progress Panel.