monltor the progress of the Decade. IL ia regretLable, thereforer thai the ECA Secretarlat did noi see fli to brln8 thls docuruent - a readln8 of uhich can only be enrichlng for anyone concerned ulth the Decade - offlclally to the attenblon of Menber States. Il is Lo be hoped thal ECA'S future evaluation reports will e&ulate bhe tone of Ubls docunenL. A. Pronotlon of the lntegratlon of transporb and communlcatlons 71 . This ls clearly the nost lmportant obJecLive of the Decade and, ln theory' the pro8ramme mtght have been expected to include a hi8h proportlon of reSlonal and sub-regional projects. However, an analysis of the conlent of the progralrEe shol.,s that the prograrme did nob reflect the preoccupations of the African Minlsters of Transport, communlcatlons and PlanninS. the explanatlon for thls may lie in the fact that, when the Decade was proclalned, there ras a Sreai deal of optinisn on the part of Alrlcan Sovernnents and an expectallon that the Decade would act as a catalyst for the uoblltzation of internagional support for proJects for whlch counlries had, on their own' found difficulfy ln attracting financlng. Nalural.ly, Uhe Eovernnenta saw an opportunlty to press fon thelr nationaf proJects and not necessarily for the regional and sub-reglonal ones. "A revlew of the nature of the reglonal and sub-reglonal proJects reveals that most of theo consisLed of prelnvesgneni proiects and studj.es into Hays of solving problems comnon anong countrles and very fer.t uere capltal proJects. fn Lhe field of transport, the most lmporLant invesinent proiect waa the Lrans- Afrlcan highways systen uhlch predated the proclanallon of the Decade.rr On the other hand, sorne subsLantial progresa was made in seltlng up the lnstltutlonal fpamework (for exanple, the establlshnent of I'authorlties'r for the lagos-l4onbasa and Cairo-Gabarone trans-African highways, anong others). It can therefore be
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the evaluation of a program aimed at promoting economic development and integration in Africa, specifically in the fields of transportation and communication. The tone suggests that the program did not fully achieve its goals, and the text highlights the lack of regional and sub-regional projects, instead focusing on national projects.

**Category**
Transport and communication, Economic development