Washington, May 27 (IANS): Singer Bono has appreciated former US President George W. Bush for the creation of US AIDS programme, Pepfar.

Both Bono and Bush share a passion for saving lives in Africa.

Since leaving office in 2008, the former President and his Bush Center have worked to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic that threatened to wipe out an entire generation on the continent of Africa through PEPFAR, the AIDS relief programme which was created in 2003, reports people.com

Bono, the lead singer of U2, 57, visited the former president's Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas on Friday, ahead of the band's sold-out Joshua Tree Tour concert at AT&T Stadium.

"More than 11 million people are alive today thanks to this man's creation of Pepfar, the US AIDS program that has been saving lives and preventing new HIV infections for over 10 years, with strong support from political leaders right, left, and centre," the musician captioned a photo of activists on Instagram.

"That progress is all at risk now with President Trump's budget cuts, which will mean needless infections and lives lost," he added.

Since 1999, Bono has become increasingly involved in campaigning for third-world debt relief and raising awareness of the plight of Africa, including the AIDS pandemic. In the past decade, Bono has met with several influential politicians, including Bush and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Futher, Bush tweeted a photo with Bono which was captioned: "Bono is the real deal. He has a huge heart and a selfless soul, not to mention a decent voice. @laurawbush and I are grateful he came to the ranch to talk about the work of @thebushcenter, @onecampaign, @PEPFAR, and our shared commitment to saving lives in Africa."