As we marked Africa Day on May 25th, events were unfolding in this continent which are cause for more concern than celebration.
War continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The hard-won peace in Sierra Leone has collapsed. The people of South Sudan continue to be affected by war and hunger. Mozambique struggles to recover from the worst flooding in living memory. The populations of Ethiopia, Somalia and Northern Kenya face severe food shortages. Meanwhile, Ethiopia and Eritrea - former brothers in arms - are engaged in a brutal border war.
In the meantime, other Africans struggle in less dramatic and less newsworthy circumstances. Some 85 per cent of people throughout Africa are impoverished. Of the 590 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, 205 million lack access to healthcare and 220 million people survive on less than $1 per day.
The global epicentre of the AIDS epidemic is in sub-Saharan Africa, with almost 70 per cent of the world's total infections. Yet, money vitally needed to pay for treatments is being diverted to the West to pay for unpayable debts.
Each year, about $12 billion is paid from sub-Saharan Africa to the West in repayments. Yet only $9 billion would pay for health, education and other basic needs for the region.
Things are getting worse, not better. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region of the world where the number of malnourished people is expected to rise in the period to 2020. It is also the only area where average incomes are lower today than they were 30 years ago.
The leaders of Europe and Africa met for the first ever EU-Africa Summit in Cairo on April 3rd-4th to look at their shared responsibilities in promoting sustainable development, eradicating poverty and fostering peace in Africa.
In his speech to the summit, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, outlined the importance of overseas aid in both Africa and Ireland's case, noting that at home "support from the EU through its regional development and cohesion funds played a role in our current economic success".
The leaders promised to intensify efforts to meet the internationally agreed targets for overseas aid to developing countries - codename for the 0.7 per cent UN aid to GNP target established back in 1970.
In paragraph 94 of the action plan, leaders expressed hope for the creation of a world solidarity fund to address Africa's development.
As a first step, EU members as a bloc should strive to set a specific time-frame to reach the 0.7 per cent aid to GNP target as against their current average of 0.34 per cent.
The Taoiseach also stressed the need to tackle AIDS. He noted that efforts to deal with the virus were frustrated by high levels of external debt payments.
The unpayable debt crisis is certainly crippling Africa. Before the floods, Mozambique was the Afro Tiger, with annual rates of growth averaging 10 per cent. Yet Mozambique's burden of unpayable debts was a major obstacle in translating this growth into poverty reduction.
It was agreed at the summit that a senior officials' group from the EU and ACP would report on Africa's external debt as part of a follow-up mechanism. The EU has allocated €1 billion to debt relief under the enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Country Facility (HIPC) but, in reality, this is money taken from unspent aid funds rather than completely new money.
In terms of trade, EU leaders reiterated their support for dutyfree access for essentially all exports of the least developed nations. This is still a minimalist gesture rather than a magnanimous one given the share of these nations in global trade.
Leaders also agreed to take into account the interests and concerns of African states, in particular the least developed countries, in all international forums. However, it is unclear what this means. Will EU governments support Africa's stance on issues such as the patenting of life forms when it conflicts with corporate interests?
Africans themselves must bear the responsibility for shaping the future of their continent. Much of Africa's woes can be linked back to exploitation of the developed world through European colonial rule and later Cold War power plays. However, ordinary Africans have not been served well by their leaders since independence.
Certainly for any of the summit's worthy goals to be met, the nurturing of a vibrant civil society is vital. However, this sector remains precarious and vulnerable in many countries. There are many vibrant civic society groups in Africa which promote the principles of good governance, democracy and human rights. These groups must be nurtured to create a climate of tolerance and peace.
African leaders must deal with a number of issues which are within their power to tackle. The economies of many African countries are highly centralised and are managed through state corporations and para-statal bodies. This often leads to bureaucratic delays, inefficiency, poor management and corruption. There needs to be a major opening up in this area.
Many African countries need to pay more attention to human rights and protections need to be included in the legal framework of every sub-Saharan African country. The South African model is an excellent point of reference for any new legal frame work. As Kofi Annan said, the "winner takes all approach" to politics in Africa must end.
Africa also needs peaceful conflict resolution as opposed to resorting to violence to resolve disputes. And war can only be waged with weapons. The EU is the world's largest arms trader, selling some 33 per cent of the world's weapons. Last year, 60 per cent of all world deaths in armed conflict happened in sub-Saharan Africa. It is vital that the EU's Code of Conduct on Arms Exports be fully implemented and policed.
While the Summit Declaration and Plan of Action is not binding, morally it should tie leaders, on both sides, to take action for the well-being of the people of Africa.
At the turn of a new century the EU is a shining example of a region overcoming past legacies of conflict and rebuilding devastated economies.
Within the EU, Ireland has a proud tradition, spanning many decades of solidarity with Africa. As the rest of the world exploited the continent, Ireland was providing support.
It is vitally important that Ireland works within the EU for a transformation of Europe's relationship with Africa.