Deputy Premier Dr. Ewart Brown is flying to South Africa this week after accepting an invitation to join a dozen former African leaders in Johannesburg.

He is a guest of the African Presidential Roundtable 2006 meeting and will find himself in the company of former leaders from countries including Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana and Cape Verde.

The Tourism Minister will join at least 12 former African leaders for the two-day gathering, which as its main themes is focusing on Africa?s image in the American media, the Diaspora and Africa?s development and increasing capital flows to Africa.

Dr. Brown intends to talk on aspects of tourism and ?engaging the Diaspora in African development?.

He told : ?It?s wonderful to be invited to be in the company of these former leaders.?

The Tourism Minister said he would talk about Bermuda?s Diaspora heritage trail to African delegates who will be amongst the likely 400 attending the Diaspora conference in Bermuda this coming September.

The Minister has also been promoting Bermuda in the US during the last few days where he attended the Miami Heat basketball event, which Bermuda partially sponsors to promote the Island as a vacation destination to Florida residents.