oade by a nuEber of partlclpants at bhe Round Table to list the naCionalproJects ln a separate voluns constltutlrig a sort of ,'conpendlum" of all Crans-port and coonunlcatlons acglyiiles in Aft lca, waa also a valld proposal. 24lthe role of ECA would have been [uch noft. cl-ear-cut if it had been conflned toproEollon, planning, arbiEratlon and fund-ralslng for reglonal and sub-regionalprojacts. It would also have been ea.sler for ECA to evaluate the reauLts ofthe Decade. 98. Ttra Inapecton fe€ls tha! the role of ECA should be reconsldered wlth a vlewto Eaklng lta futurB acttvitles 1n the flelds of transDort and com[unlcatlons noresffecElve. The foltowlng quotatlon froE the sr]Enary of lhe dlscusslons a! ihe Round Table SLves an idea of sone of the crlt,lclsda nade of 1ta present role:rrMone and Eore partlcLpants suggested that ECA shouLd ptay a nore actlve fole,a roLe of plannlng and arbltratlon, Mentlon was rnade of a polltical arbitrationfulrctlon, of lhe ne€d fof contacts ulth the natlonal pl,anners and the need forcontacta Hlth the flnanclal lnstltutlons. Mentlon !ra.E Dada of co-ordlnatlon of Che aub-reglonal organlzatlons. Soneone also talked of the expert capabilttyln ECA for developlng peglonal proJecls and for preparlng a nuober of regionaltranaport projectg or proJecta for teqhnlcal aaal,stance. there was a degree ofunanlnlty !n conslderlng that the Econoolc CoDnlsrlon fof Afpica oust play anl[portant r.ole ln tbd.s contlnental planntng proceea. Fina].Iy, the partlclpanes expect lhal lt should succeed ln settlng up thls dlalogue whlch would make !tposslble lo Suarantee botb fundlng at Eedlua-lern and lhe lncreaslng ratlonalityof thls planning, even lf lt 1s fuu.y reallzed that thls plannlne and thlsratlonallty wl]I only be developed lltt1e by llitle at lhe cost of trlal andeno!'rr (docuEent E/ECA/TCD/10, paragraph 158). 24l The publicatl.on of a docunent presentlnS all the proJects of the Afrlcancountriea, Hhether or not lncluded ln the programe ol the Decade, wou.Ld have been a ver.y useful worklng tooL.-Jt- 99. Ihe Inspector agrees with the8e obaervaiions. He belleves that, in order to capltalize to the full on the elforts made so fap 1n the frauework of the Decade, ECA'S role needg to be redeflned. As pointed out !n paragraph J4 above,
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the role of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the context of the United Nations Decade for African Development. The discussion revolves around the commission's responsibilities, including planning, arbitration, and fundraising for regional and sub-regional projects, as well as its potential role in ensuring the success of the decade's initiatives. The text also mentions the importance of coordination with national planners, financial institutions, and regional organizations.

**Category**
Transport and communication, International trade