Blair's long goodbye hits Africa

Mr Blair will use the visit to rally the world's richest countries to help ease the plight of the poorest nations.

The Prime Minister will defend his foreign policy during a visit to Sierra Leone, where British troops helped shore up UN peacekeeping efforts in 2000 to hasten the end of the country's civil war.

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Mr Blair will also fly to South Africa where he will hold talks with president Thabo Mbeki.

The visit takes place ahead of the G8 summit during which Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to press rich nations to fulfil aid pledges to Africa.

Under Britain's previous G8 presidency, the leading industrialised countries promised to double aid to Africa by 2010 and wipe out more than £20billion of poor nations' debt.

Mr Blair has been criticised for spending his final few weeks in power jetting around the world at taxpayers' expense.

Tory leader David Cameron has accused him of behaving like a "pop star" on a farewell world tour which serves no purpose but to "indulge his vanity".

Labour MPs are also said to be growing increasingly uncomfortable over Mr Blair's "long goodbye" from Downing Street, which has taken him to the U.S., France and Iraq.

Further trips are also being planned before he hands over power to Gordon Brown on June 27 - including a trip to visit the Pope in Rome.