On Saturday the government of Kenya will destroy nearly its entire stockpile of ivory. The amount of ivory the government is burning — 105 tonnes — together with 1 tonne of rhino horn, makes this event one for the history books.

The bonfire will cast a light on the shadowy world of the illegal wildlife trade, which is robbing this continent of its wildlife resource.

The illegal wildlife trade is not only a crime against our elephants, rhinos and other wildlife but also against the state. It sabotages our economies by undermining industries such as tourism, and it weakens ecological systems important for our growth and development.

It corrupts and rewards the few, while taking from the many. It puts our rangers at greater risk, and endangers us all by serving as a convenient financing mechanism for terror and rebel groups.

If you consider that the by-products of this trade are extinction, corruption, ecological bankruptcy, organised crime and, in some cases, even terrorism and murder, then it is time to take it more seriously. We must treat it as the transnational crime that it is and bring the full measure of the law against it.

Many African states are waking up to this reality, and they, like Kenya, have sent up smoke signals. Last week, Cameroon set ablaze 2,000 tusks, and last month Malawi burned 2.6 tonnes of ivory.

Before them came Mozambique, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Chad and others. These countries have not only raised awareness within their own borders but have broadcast a powerful message beyond them to other countries — that ivory and rhino horn are not commodities for trade.

It is a message that many countries, including known transit and destination countries for illegal wildlife products, are starting to align with. China and the United States, for example, have both committed to ending the ivory trade in their countries. Hong Kong announced it too would consider closing down its ivory markets.

All three have held ivory destruction events to raise awareness about the illegal wildlife trade. The writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer. There will be no marketplace, legal or otherwise, for these items in the future.

It is thus a relief that South Africa’s government has decided against submitting a proposal to legalise rhino horn trade at the next CITES meeting. This was the absolute right decision for Africa’s rhinos.

Our rhinos are in such desperate straits, now is not the time to test out dangerous trade experiments and gamble with their survival. Our time is better spent on ending demand, not trying to stimulate it.

This is why African Wildlife Foundation and its partners have campaigned for many years to urge consumers in countries such as China and Vietnam not to buy ivory or rhino horn. No tusk, however ornate or beautifully carved, is worth the life of an elephant.

No myth about the healing powers of rhino horn should claim more than 1,000 rhinos every year. The illegal wildlife trade must be fought along all parts of the supply chain, from source to destination.

At the end of the day, we here in Africa are the primary custodians of our wildlife, and we must devote the necessary resources, manpower and political will to protect it.

Our protected areas are our responsibility and we must invest in those we ask to stand between a rhino and a poacher. We control our airports and seaports and have the ability to stop wildlife products from leaving our shores.

Many countries, like Kenya, have strong wildlife laws but wildlife crime is often viewed as a lesser crime rather than a transnational crime. It is why AWF has conducted a number of workshops in East Africa to sensitise the law enforcement and judicial communities to the illegal wildlife trade, and work with them to strengthen investigation and prosecution of poaching and wildlife trafficking cases.

Kenya, for its part, is moving toward a zero tolerance approach to wildlife crime. Stepped up anti-poaching efforts by Kenya Wildlife Service and its conservation partners have reduced elephant and rhino poaching over the past several years.

The canine unit operated by the Kenya Wildlife Service and supported by AWF, has made 15 seizures of illegal wildlife products since January. Magistrates, sensitised to the threat of the illegal wildlife trade, are handing down more deterrent sentences against convicted wildlife criminals. Other African states are moving against poachers and wildlife traffickers in similar ways.

The momentum is there and we are seeing marginal improvements in some areas, but we are far from claiming victory. We need still greater commitment from our leaders to go after those involved in this trade, no matter their status, wealth or political connections.

Too many kingpins and middlemen continue to operate with relative impunity, and too few see the inside of a jail for their crimes.

Above all, speaking with one voice and one message helps our cause. Kenya’s decision to destroy its ivory and rhino horn, and South Africa’s decision not to propose legalising the rhino horn trade, send a clear message to the world that Africa’s elephants and rhinos are #WorthMoreAlive.

Kaddu Kiwe Sebunya is president of the African Wildlife Foundation.