When US President George W Bush travels to Africa next week, it will underscore how pressing such a tour is, and how long the need has gone unaddressed by his government.
South Africa is a key stop for the presidential tour. The country has a vital role to play in ensuring that the visit to Africa is not just symbolic - but also addresses the region's most acute problems, including raging regional conflicts and HIV/Aids.
The visit will provide Bush an opportunity to follow up on his announcement last month at the US-Africa Business Summit that the two continents "will work together as partners in advancing the security, health and prosperity of the African peoples".
America's commitment to these goals has been inconsistent at best, but South Africa also has much room for improvement in playing a leadership role on the continent.
The Bush administration has made a considerable effort to facilitate peace in Sudan. However, the US has failed to commit to protecting civilians in West Africa and the Great Lakes. Suspicious of UN peacekeeping, the Bush government has been unwilling to commit its own political and financial resources.
Liberia is yet another example of the great need and potential for US intervention.
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) is ready to send peacekeeping troops into Liberia to preserve the June 27 ceasefire. But the Ecowas troops need support - support that should come from the US.
Liberian President Charles Taylor has been indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone for his role in that country's recent civil war and Bush has called for him to step down. But without concrete action - the support of peace efforts in Liberia - such rhetoric is empty.
The US also needs to be a stronger partner for peace and human rights in the Great Lakes region.
A new Human Rights Watch report, Covered in Blood: Ethnically Targeted Violence in Northern DR Congo, provides evidence that combatants in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo have slaughtered some 5 000 civilians in the last year because of their ethnic affiliation.
During his stop in Uganda, Bush should make clear to regional governments that the US will use its full influence to support an end to war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Congo.
In contrast to Bush, President Thabo Mbeki has made a concerted effort to address regional conflict.
His commitment to human rights and good governance has been instrumental in developing institutions for reform, including the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
In Burundi and the DRC, Mbeki has led conflict resolution and peace-keeping efforts.
However, on the critical issue of Aids in Africa, Mbeki's record has been less than impressive.
South Africa's HIV epidemic not only threatens the US economy, but also its role as a broker for regional success.
Bush should take advantage of his time in South Africa to urge his counterpart to show greater commitment to fighting Aids and the spread of HIV in South Africa and across the region.
A strong US-South African partnership holds great potential for bettering the lives of millions of Africans. Bush's Aids initiative shows that he wants to be a leader on issues that matter to Africa, as he has stated in his June Africa policy speech.
But when he gets to Africa next week, the US president will find millions of people looking for something more than speeches: concrete and durable solutions for HIV/Aids, and a firm commitment to throwing US resources and weight behind ending the West Africa and the Great Lakes conflicts.
