Nairobi-based African political analyst Dr. Hassouna Moustafa said the Iraq war was already "water under the bridge" and that it was unlikely the U.S. would seek ways of repaying African countries for their lack of support.
He said even countries like Nigeria and South Africa, which spearheaded African opposition to the war and were seen at African forums to be more independent, were likely to support the U.S. on global issues.
South Africa is set to enter into talks with the U.S. on a free trade agreement, and Pretoria has dismissed fears those talks could be jeopardized by its stance on the war.
Only four African countries - Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda and Rwanda - made public their support for the war to disarm Iraq. Kenya's support was lower key.
Moustafa predicted that the small handful of African nations supportive of the war might face some diplomatic fall-out from Arab nations.
The three African members of the U.N. Security Council - Angola, Guinea and Cameroon - were lobbied both by the U.S. and France, but in the end, the U.S.-led coalition entered Iraq without waiting for another Council resolution, so the three were not called on to take a final stance one way or the other.
Political scientist Solomon Owouche said most African countries hid behind the cover of the argument that called for a final U.N. vote authorizing war, which enabled them to avoid taking a stand for or against the military action.
Some analysts do believe Africa's core development needs will suffer as a result of changed U.S. priorities.
The Washington-based lobbying group Africa Action says in a new report that U.S. policy toward Africa will be driven almost exclusively by Washington's involvement in Iraq and its geostrategic interests in African oil.
"African priorities, specifically the war against AIDS, will [therefore] continue to suffer from a lack of resources."
Africa Action called for a policy agenda including the provision of adequate resources to fight AIDS, cancellation of African debts and support for peace-building initiatives.
Despite those views, there have been no indications so far that U.S.-sponsored development initiatives in Africa will in fact stall.
The significant level of trade relations through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to grow further this year as more eligible countries increase their AGOA-related investments.
The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a worldwide aid initiative by President Bush focusing on development assistance, will also benefit African countries seen to be making strides in the fields of democracy and economic governance.
Among the 15 countries expected to benefit from the $1.3 billion MCA are Africa's Uganda, Senegal and Ghana.
This past January, Bush announced he was asking Congress to commit $15 billion over the next five years, including nearly $10 billion in new funds, "to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean."
The House of Representatives will this week vote on a global AIDS bill responding to the president's request.
Some conservatives and pro-life groups are unhappy that the bill does not place a greater emphasis on sexual abstinence, rather than the use of condoms, as a means to fight the deadly disease.
The bill endorses the "ABC" approach that has been hailed as successful in Uganda, which focuses on Abstinence, Being sexually faithful and - when appropriate - using Condoms.
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