The US Treasury Secretary, Mr Paul O'Neill, and the U2 lead singer, Bono, are engaged on a high-profile tour of Africa to both encourage and censure the leaders of four countries -- South Africa, Ghana, Uganda and Ethiopia.
It is a credit to Ireland's history of compassionate development policies that Bono is spearheading this groundbreaking tour. And it is hard to imagine the expedition getting so much favourable publicity if Mr O'Neill's companion was simply another political figure.
The pair will discuss more aid for the four countries - but coupled with stringent requirements for disbursing it. They represent an intriguing mix of political and popular power. Bono has the ears and hearts of young people around the world; by taking on this cause he has reinforced his engagement with the coming generation. Actors and singers have been goodwill ambassadors before, but Bono has the knowledge and the mouth to go with the leather trousers.
Mr O'Neill's main objectives are to put firm details on a somewhat surprising proposal by President Bush to increase US unilateral development aid by 5 billion dollars a year by 2006, bringing it to 15 billion dollars annually. This announcement was unexpected because of the previous common assumption that Africa is a lost cause where money would simply disappear. Mr O'Neill has himself been a critic of development-aid programmes, and will want to see value for his dollars.
Africa is indeed in dire straits. Former President Clinton in his Dimbleby Lecture some months ago, drew attention to the dreadful situation the continent faces at the dawn of the 21st century. Aids, famine, wars, international debt, lack of drinkable water - these are the massive problems shared by many countries, especially those in sub-Sahara.
Too many of them have huge debt burdens, the servicing of which soaks up any funds governments might have to tackle other problems. Bono is active in the debt cancellation movement; latterly he has been a founder of the organisation Debt, Aid, Trade for Africa (DATA). Many less famous Irish people have also campaigned for debt cancellation. Now, with Malawi in a state of famine and other southern African countries heading in the same direction, it is to be hoped that the US is not too critical in its expectations of African performance.
"I know that our travelling together has raised eyebrows," Mr O'Neill has said. But he has also expressed admiration for Bono's grasp of economic realities. These unlikely bedfellows may achieve more for Africa than other respectable - and more predictable - delegations.