Tony Blair has promised real action on Africa after hosting the first session of the commission established to examine ways of combating poverty in the continent.

The prime minister was speaking in Downing Street after chairing the meeting with a number of senior British and international politicians.

He told reporters that the commission would seek to act on rather than analyse Africa's problems.

"Most of the research is already out there," he said. "[This] is an attempt to agree an agenda that we can take out and get agreement on from governments.