Musician and activist Bob Geldof, shown Feb. 8 at the One Young World Summit in London, will be a guest editor of the Globe for a day along with U2 frontman Bono. (Sang Tan/Associated Press)

Celebrity activists Bono and Bob Geldof will edit the Globe and Mail newspaper for one day later this month in a special edition devoted to the future of Africa, the Globe announced Tuesday.

The two want to explore the issue of extreme poverty in Africa ahead of the G8 and G20 meetings, which will be held in the Toronto area in June.

Kenyan activist and blogger Ory Okolloh will also be part of the team editing the May 10 issue of the Globe.

It is the first time the Toronto-based paper has invited guest editors into its newsroom.

U2 lead singer Bono is the founder of One, an advocacy group that fights poverty and disease, particularly in Africa. He also has led a global campaign urging world leaders to forgive African countries' debt.

Bono has been a guest editor at London's Independent newspaper and at Vanity Fair.

Geldof, an activist and musician formerly with the Boom Town Rats, organized the Live8 series of concerts in 2005 and also lobbies world leaders on poverty issues. He was editor of the Georgia Strait in Vancouver 36 years ago.

"The Globe and Mail, one of the world's great papers of record, has, in a mad rush of blood to the head, agreed to let two Irish pop singers edit their august journal for one special day, one special edition," Geldof said.

The two will take questions online from readers.

The special edition will feature content and commentary from African political leaders, business owners and grassroots activists and from the Globe's Africa correspondent, Geoffrey York.

Okolloh, who is a frequent public speaker on the role of technology in Africa's future, will oversee stories and participate in a series of online discussions.

The G8 summit in Huntsville, Ont., will deal with controversial issues such as how to improve maternal health and aid for the developing world. The G20, to be held later in June in Toronto, is expected to focus on financial reform.