The countries on de Villepin's itinerary currently hold the rotating presidencies of two main regional organisations: the African Union for South Africa, and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) for Ghana.
In a recent speech, de Villepin said Paris wanted to strengthen its ties with Africa, placing it at the forefront of a foreign policy "that defends the principles of a new world order marked by respect for human rights and the primacy of dialogue".
"Conscious of the urgency of the task, France hopes to give a new impetus to a demanding partnership," the foreign minister added.
De Villepin will arrive tomorrow in Cape Town, where he will meet with South African President Thabo Mbeki and Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and address the country's parliament.
On Friday he will head to Johannesburg, where he and Dlamini-Zuma will give a joint press conference before de Villepin meets with former South African president Nelson Mandela at the Nobel laureate's private residence.
De Villepin's visit to South Africa is aimed at taking stock of the African Union's first year in existence and at discussing regional conflicts like the one gripping the Democratic Republic of Congo, said foreign ministry spokesperson Herve Ladsous.
French soldiers are leading a 1 400-strong emergency European Union peacekeeping force deployed to secure the flashpoint northeastern DRC town of Bunia, where inter-ethnic clashes have left hundreds dead in recent weeks.
De Villepin also will discuss future prospects for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), of which Mbeki is one of the principal architects along with the leaders of Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and Senegal.
The five African leaders were invited earlier this month to the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Evian by French President Jacques Chirac, who wanted to focus the attention of the world's most powerful nations on Africa's plight.
De Villepin will leave South Africa on Friday for Ghana, where he is scheduled to meet with Ghanaian President John Kufuor and Foreign Minister Addo Akufo-Addo before heading back to Paris on Saturday.
Ladsous said the visit would provide the French minister with an opportunity to get an update on the crises in Ivory Coast and Liberia and to praise Ghana's efforts to bring peace to west Africa.
The government of Liberian President Charles Taylor and the country's main rebel group signed a ceasefire in Ghana last week, but the accord was quickly violated, with rebels again advancing yesterday toward the capital Monrovia. - Sapa-AFP.
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