(FinalCall.com) -- For 10 days, beginning Aug. 26, leaders from around the globe assemble in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, one of the largest-ever gatherings of its kind.

This is another example of the increased attention Africa has received in recent months. But Africa needs more than high-profile attention. It needs implementation of a concrete, long-term growth strategy like the one which the Johannesburg Summit hopes to produce. The G-8 leaders from the world’s richest nations recently produced an Africa aid plan that, unfortunately, is richer in promise than in fact. It is notable that the $6 billion Africa might receive from the G-8, beginning in 2006, is considerably less than the $10 billion committed to the former Soviet states—in another form of foreign assistance—to dismantle nuclear weapons.

At the G-8 meeting, President Bush promised little new aid to Africa beyond what was previously announced. With some fanfare, he pledged a 50 percent increase in international economic assistance in March. Fifty percent is significant, and the president’s welcomed decision could cast the terms of the debate in a more realistic and positive light. The U.S. increase, which would take effect between 2004 and 2006, would require congressional approval and continued White House backing, two factors that are not guaranteed.

But even if that relatively big increase becomes reality, the U.S. still would be a piker among the donor nations. With the proposed increase, the Center for Global Development and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report that U.S. foreign assistance would rise to represent only 0.13 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product in 2006. That level of spending would keep the U.S. at the bottom of the list of donor nations when foreign assistance is compared to national wealth. The U.S. wouldn’t even look good compared to itself. The projected 2006 level of foreign aid would be less than that provided by Washington in almost every year since 1945, according to the two Centers.

Of course, Africa should not wait for the U.S. or any other rich nation to provide assistance that may or may not come in the amount and form needed to substantially raise its standard of living. In July, African leaders did take the initiative by launching the African Union (AU).

With its focus on good governance, the AU is positioned to make important advances in African stability and democracy, two essential elements in the elimination of poverty. But Africa can’t do it alone. The eradication of unfair trade barriers and the adoption of realistic foreign aid programs by the U.S. and other rich nations also are required.

The Joint Center has worked on good governance efforts, such as election programs, in Africa for several years. Currently, our Johannesburg office is focusing on HIV/AIDS, which is devastating the continent and drastically reducing African progress. Reports released at a Joint Center conference in Pretoria last May painted a bleak prediction of the economic impact of HIV/AIDS on South Africa, unless drastic changes are made soon. Research indicates that affected households spend less on food and education, thus compounding the disease’s already devastating impact.

Rep. Carrie Meek (D-Fla.) said it well: "In order to erase this scourge from the planet, a recommitment, not complacency, is required by the United States and all governments around the world."

Rep. Meek, a fifth-term Miami Democrat, is retiring from Congress after this session. Her voice on behalf of people living with AIDS and others in need has been strong and clear. She will be missed.