Post mortem on Bush visit

With US President George W. Bush now home from his five-nation African tour, his advisors will be assessing what impact he has made on the continent.

Back in Africa, the papers are doing the same.

Even newspapers in countries which were not included in the tour, such as Kenya, have been pondering the matter.

"Kenyans, along with other Africans, would be forgiven for asking: What was that all about?" Kenya's Daily Nation asks.

"Bush's just-concluded visit to Africa, during which he spent more time in Air Force One than among the people of Africa, was of little consequence here." says fellow Kenyan paper, the Sunday Standard.

Kenya omitted

Adding that "it amounts to no more than photo sessions in select African countries".

Bush and Mbeki laid a solid foundation for sensible future cooperation Rapport - South Africa

That Kenya was not part of the tour is picked over by the Nation.

"His visit skirted Kenya and Tanzania, two countries which have suffered terrorist attacks," the papers points out.

"If he wanted to make a statement about terrorism in Africa, then the right forum would have been in these two countries," it says.

In South Africa, a country that President Bush did spend time in, the Sowetan Sunday also was less than enthusiastic about the honour.

"They arrived in Hollywood style on the envied Air Force One", the paper wails, "stirred up controversy and then flew off, leaving many South Africans bewildered about what exactly they came to do here."

But South African newspaper Rapport strikes a more positive note.

For Zimbabweans the visit turned out to be more significant than most people would want to admit Sunday Mail - Zimbabwe

"Bush and Mbeki over the past week," it believes, "laid a solid foundation for sensible future cooperation."

Political tourism

Before the president's visit there was speculation that he would use his talks in South Africa to try to persuade regional leaders to be firmer with President Robert Mugabe in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

However, according to the pro-government Sunday Mail in Harare, the US president "all but conceded that President Thabo Mbeki and his colleagues know best how to handle the challenges in this region."

Therefore, the paper concludes, "for Zimbabweans the visit turned out to be more significant than most people would want to admit".

In Nigeria the last country to be visited, the Guardian says Mr. Bush showed himself to be a " fellow human being with feelings" with a "commitment to helping African nations meet challenges".

Mr President, the guys to deal with in this important continent are in Maputo, a chopper ride from Pretoria Nation - Uganda

But another Nigerian paper the Vanguard warns that he " needs to match words with deeds".

Kenya's Sunday Nation is also blunt. "The more cynical Africans are seeing Mr Bush's tour as pure political tourism," it says.

This idea is pursued by South Africa's Sunday Independent "If Bush had genuine respect for Africa," it states, "surely he would have attended at least one session of the AU in Maputo".

Kenya's Nation also notes the president's absence from the African Union summit.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, the AU chairman, the paper suggests, " should have told Mr Bush: 'Mr President, the guys to deal with in this important continent are in Maputo, a chopper ride from Pretoria.'"

Promises to keep

Another country President Bush did go to was Uganda, where President Museveni welcomed US financial support for Uganda's development through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) activities.

If there were any opportunities for Mr Bush to make a difference in Africa, no one can accuse him of taking them." Sunday Nation - Kenya

But one commentator there, writing in the New Vision newspaper, questioned "whether Bush will deliver on his promises made to Africa."

"We trust that the Americans are changing their attitude to Africa, it said. "At least they have done so with AGOA."

The general mood of scepticism is summed up by two comments from the Nairobi press.

"Away with the brouhaha that characterised Bush's trip, trumpets the People Daily "the American president did little to address himself to problems facing Africa".

"If there were any opportunities for Mr Bush to make a difference in Africa," concludes the Sunday Nation, "no one can accuse him of taking them".

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.