have thus seen the qap between ridl and poor, North and South, those who set the Prices and those who sell the oommodities, creditors and debtors, widen to the Proportions of a qulf. The imperatives of bridqinq this qaP, of creatinq wealth and opportunity for all, and of ensur inq equity in the rewards for effort are a challenqe whidl we in Africa have accePted and couraqeously faced. But this historical responsibility must be also shared by the rest of the international communi tv. JSM/dl A/S-18/PV.4 167 (Mr. Ndiaye, African Development Bank) In respondinq to this challenqe, Africa has reooqnized its own shortcominqs and has spent much of the past few years undertakinq policies of reform and adjustment to arrest the economic decline and beqin the Process of recovery. Exchanqe rates have been adjusted; producer prices have been raised; monetary and budqetary excesses curbed; public enterprises restructured and, where appropriate, privatized; and there has been renewed interest in market mechanisms. Moreover, lonqer-term concerns related to the environment, population qrowth, the role of women in development, science and technoloqv and the buildinq of human capacity are increasinqly beinq addressed in our development proqrammes. Such policies are clearly necessary and represent moves in the r iqht direction. African countries should persevere and deepen these qrowth promotinq measures. But, as our experience has shown, these policies are an insufficient response to the diffi.cul ties we face. Consider, for instance, the case of Uqanda, which in 1989, after carefully preparinq its annual budqet, which included major plans for macro-economic and sectoral reform, saw the Price of coffee, its major export, fall dramatically within a fe-t days. The result was a major loss of export earninqs, amountinq to over $100 million, or more than 25 per cent of total ex~>rt earninqs - a setback to its established proqrammes and a considerable disruption to its recovery efforts. 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the economic development of Africa, highlighting the challenges faced by the continent and the efforts being made to overcome them. The text mentions specific economic policies, such as exchange rates, producer prices, and privatization, which suggests that economic development is a central theme. Additionally, the text mentions the impact of external factors, such as global market fluctuations, on African economies, which adds a layer of complexity to the topic.

**Category**
Economic development