91 per cent ut the averaqe total c1urir,q the period 1977-1980. Chad, r-;ali, l'lauritania, ~lamibia ar.C. the Niqer expcrted about 72 per cent cf Africa 's total cattle experts,· a n<.l cattle experts ac­ counted for about 35 per cent cf total expert earrir.qs fer Chad ana l'·lali. It should be ncted tnat mest ef these trarsacticr:s oc­ cur !Jetv<een African cour;tries ·thenselves; there is little trade cutside the reqicn. 63. The three r.tair: expcrters of meat {fresh, chilled or frc:.::en), Botswana, I•iadaqascar arrl Zir.Lrebv.'e, accc,uDtec fer abcut SS' per cent cf Africa's tctal r.1eat exports. t-iali, r-,auritiania, Nan;ibia, Somalia a,nd the Sudan toqether a cccu r.ted f cr about 80 per ce r:t cf' Afri_ca 's experts cf sheep a r.d qoa ts. 64. Between 1977 aLd 1980, the value of ii:·.pc·rts cf livestock products and by-products averaqed $1,659 millicr, a year. l'lilk imports made up more than 43 per cent of the tctal. Detween 1978 and 1980, the feur major cattle-ir.1pcrtinq ccur.trics {the Ivery Ccast, Lesctho, the Libya r: Aral> Jamalliriya a rx] l~ioeria) acccur,ted for 63 per cent of total iwpcrts. The Ivery Coast, the Libyan AraL Jamahiriya ar,d Niqeria ac::ourtec fer mere thai 7S per cert cf Africa's impcrts ci sheep and qc..a.ts, whil8 abc·ut 72 p~r cent cf the fresh, chilled or frczen meat vJas impcrt.<eJ by the six major impcrtir.q ccurtries {l\lqeria, Eqypt, tLe Ivery Cc<.~st, the Libya r, l'.rctb Jarr:ahiriya, Niqcria and Reunicll). 49 E/ECA/cr-;. 9/5 CS. From 1977 to 1980, Africa experienced a deficit ir. its balance of trade ir, livestock products ar:d by-products, \-Jith the deficit qrowinq at an averaqe rate of 21 per cent. a year.· l.r, il7l­ prcveme nt in the bala nee of traue \·Tas observed i ri 1 S79, but the 