assiated hlm ln carrylng oui hls task. The report uas clrculaled in draft forBto all the organizations of the Unlled Na!1o49 Eystem concerned and !o lheAfrlcan sectoral agencies meEbers of lhe fnter-Agency CoeDj.ttee on the Decade. Ilany useful coEnentE ere received.-t - II. CONCEPTION OF IHE DECADE AND VALIDITY OF THE APPNOACH ADOPTED 1. Background 7. lhe i4portance of lransport and coEmunlcatlons in the process of economlc developEent and lntegraclon and lhe constralnts welghlng on the Afrlcan contlneni 1n chis fteld are wel.L known and need not be descrlbed here. Sufflce 1l to eay that, slnce lndependence, lhe Afrlcan countrles have been fully auare of the atrustural shortcomlngs and lnadequacles of the transport and codnunlcati'ons systens lnherlLed fron the colonlal psrlod' deslgned as they were to facllltale the exporl of rax Eaterlals and agrlcultural produce to the netropol'ltan countries and not to facultate lntra-Afrlcan trade or lhe self-orlented development of Afrlcan countrles. 8. Wtth the slgnlng of the Char!€r of the Organlzatlon of Afrlcan Unlty ln May 1955, the Afrlcan Govet'nnents ,tere in a posltlon to establl8h a coEEon platfofl! for consideratlon of the problems of reglonal transport and conuunicatj.ons . Slnce that t16e, nuderous OAU, ECA and Ceneral Assenbly resolutlons have emphaslzed the loporlance of i.nternatlonal- co-operation and co-ordlnation for the integration of the varl.oua transport and coEEunicatlons sysl:ms in Afrlca. 9- It t,las agalnst thls gsneral background thab the ECA Conference of Mlnisters flrst ?ub forward the ldea of a tranaport and coEuunicatlons decade j.n Affi'ca by adoptj.ng resolutlon 291 (XIII) at tts meeting ln Klnshasa, in February L9?7' t}le fesol-ulion reconnended tha! lhe lnternatlonal communlty and, in particufar, the Parj.s Confenence on Ineernatlonal EconoEic Co-operation and lhe coEpecent tnited Natlons bodtes, Ehould proclaln a transport and comounlcations decade in Mnica durlng the years f978-I988, i.n order to :
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the importance of transport and communication in the economic development and integration of African countries. It mentions the structural shortcomings of the transport and communication systems inherited from the colonial period and the need for international cooperation and coordination to address these issues. The text also highlights the significance of a transport and communication decade in Africa, which was proclaimed by the ECA Conference of Ministers in 1977.

**Category**
Transport and communication, International trade, Economic development