and twelfth meeting of the Conference of Ministers. 12. Any other business. - 45 - 13. Adoption of the report of the twentieth session of the Commission/ eleventh meeting of the Conference of Ministers of the Commission. 14. Closure of the meeting. C. Account of Proceedings Opening addresses 159. In a message read by Comrade Addis Tedla, Member of the Politburo and Member of the Central Committee of WPE and Deputy Chairman, National Committee for Central Planning, Comrade Mengistu Haile-Mariam, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Ethiopia, Chairman of the Provisional Military Administrative Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Ethiopia welcomed participants on behalf of the Workers* Party, the Government and the people of Ethiopia. 160. The ECA Conference of Ministers, the message went on, had to deliberate on issues of particular importance to Africa: the food crisis, the debt crisis, the problem of least developed countries (LDCs), and the defective world economic system. About 150 million people in more than 20 African countries faced malnutrition, hunger or famine owing to a steady decline in agricultural production aggravated by catastrophic drought. In Ethiopia alone, 10.8 million people were affected by food shortages and 7.9 million of those needed assistance. The steps taken to cope with the problem included resettling drought-affected people and pursuing intensive water and soil conservation programmes. The results of those programmes, so far, were encouraging. Immediate action was needed to alleviate the suffering; medium- and long-term measures were required to increase food and agricul­ tural production, to combat natural calamities and to reverse the trend of desertification. 161. A collective African effort was needed to bring about a solution to the debt crisis, which was a serious stumbling block to development efforts; African countries also needed to manage their individual debts better. 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the challenges faced by Africa, including the food crisis, debt crisis, and problem of least developed countries. It also mentions the need for a collective African effort to address these issues. The text highlights the importance of agriculture, food production, and conservation programs to alleviate suffering and increase food security. The tone is focused on finding solutions to these problems, rather than discussing the consequences or impacts.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Economic development, Humanitarian aid and relief