UNIT ED N 1>. T ION S
ECONOMIC
.AND
SOCIAL COUNCIL
30~.3.3 S
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;;/3452;'/CN .14/109Provisional United Nations
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DOCUMENTS OIWICE
NO TO BE TAKEN OUT
;:;CONOMIC COMl'iIS3ION FOR AFRICA AJ'lNUAL R:iI;pORT
(7 February 1960 - 18 February 1961)
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
OFFICIAL R;.,CORI>SI TllIRTY-SECOND SESSION Supplement No. 10
New York
61 - 635
(i) COHT::J1TS
INTRODUCTION
Paragraph(s) 1
,
PART I.A.
.'-. -~
W"n:: OF THE COM1IISSI0l1 SD1C:' THJ SECOND' : •.
SESSION
Organization of th.e....Secretariat C'
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1. STAFFING P O S I 7 I O N . 2';... 1
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2. m'<lnnSTRATIV"; STRUCTURl:l OF'>iJt::· SECRi,TARIAT .... 3-4 1
:e.
.: ',.:' .;- :;" !.',~.' ",;.
Summary of work done ." ,--'"'., 5 2
Review and analysis of ourrent trends41-53 I. '
'.,:,
,,-
.~.1
Research Division
,'..,~.
Economic'.~:n'd social dEIVelopnent·"
International Trade
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International Economio Assistanoe to Africa
sta~~tioal survey· of Africa
6-18 19-36 37-40
54-61
2 2
7
14 16 20 Exohange of informs tion and
development of statistical technique862-64 22
,
I I..
III.
Proqessing, awl. publication 0:(
sta\ihtica:l &:ta
Industry, Transport and Natural Resouroes Division
EOA/FAO Joint AgTioul ture Division.'
23
Agricul tural progreeB and. d.evelop- ".' ""': '1.('
ment 82~9 28
Paragraph ( s) Pags Distribution and consumption of
agricul tural products 90-93 . Assistance and advisory servioes i n : ' ·
the field of agriculture 94-95 IT. Community devel.opment and related
aotivitiss in sooial fields·
96..;.i05
". Training Aotivi ties 106-113 C. Relations with specialized agenoies
and other orsanizat10ns
~F~CIAlrz;~ AO~C:DS
IntS!Datio~l
Labour Organisation(ILO)114 Food and Agricul ture Orsanbation(FAO) 115-119
United Nations Eduoational,
Scientifio .and Cultural Organiza.1d/:Q
(UNESCO) 120
World Health Organization (WHO) 121 International Bank for Reoonstruotion
and Development (IBRD) 122
3°· . 32
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32 36
3' 39 39 39
40 41 41
P.1RT 'II. THIRD SESSION OF THill COMMISSION
SPECIAL FUN]) 124
OTHER INT:wl-GOV...IDIM~TAL ORGANIZATION 125-127
.A..
:8.
I ,. . : - : c." -
. Interim Commission for the
International Trade Organization (ICITO/GATT)
2.
Attendance and organization
of'
work Election of offioersOrganization··of WOrk Agenda.
123
128-144 140 141-143
144
41 42 42 43 43 46 46
41
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(iii)
E3452
E/CN.14/l09
Paragraph(s) Page
Regional commodity price starilization schooos
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C. Account cf proceedings
Eoonomic situation and trends in Afrioa
o including social aspects
Effect of economic groupings in Europe on Afrioan eoonomiEB
International assistance to Africa Resources, industry and transport
Regional cartographic conferenco for Afrioa Community development
Statietical survey of Africa Training
Terms of reference of the Commission Establishment of sub-regional offices
Establishment of an African development Bank Programme of work and priori ties
Date and place of meeting of next session
145 158-192 193-200 201-219 220-229 230-236 237-243 244-249 250-252 254-256
257 258 259 260 261
50 54 67 70 76 78 79 81 82 84 85 86 86 87 87 Adaption of the report and olosing of the session 262 87 PART III
PART IV.
PART V.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPT~D BY T~ COr~IS3ION AT ITS THIRD SESSION
DRAFT ~SOLUTION FOR ACTION BY THL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
PROGRAMML OF WORK AND PRIORITIES FOR 1961-1962
88
103 104 1.
B.
Observations on the programme of work and priorities
Annotated list of pro,jects for 1961-1962
264-284 104
111 I. Economic, social and statistical projeots
1. Economic and social development
111 111
E/CN,14/109
(iv)
Paragraph(s) Page(s)
3. Review and analysis of ourrent events
1. Industry
4.
Statistios2. International trade, foreign aid and investments
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115 116 117 119 119
Ind~stry, transport and natural resouroes II.
2. Transport 120
3. Natural resouroes 121
III. Agrioul ture 122
1. Agrioul tural progress and developments 122 2. Distribution and oonsumption of, agrioulturel
produots 123
3. Assistanoe and advisory servioes in the
field of agrioul ture 124
IV
V
Community development and related aotivities in social fields
Training
124 127 ANNZX2S
I. List of representatives and observers at
the third session of the Commission 1 - 22 II. List of publioations and principal documents
issued sinoe the seoond session of the
Commission 1 -
4
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III. Terms of referenoe of the Loonomio Commission for Afrioa
IV. Rules of proceduro of the Economic Commission for Afrioa
(v)
E/3452 EjCN.14/l09
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~iessage from H.I.Il. Haile Selassie I,~peror of Ethiopia at the inaugural meeting.
NOTE
Symbols of United Nations documents are oomposed of oapital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations doo1,1lllent.
E/3452 IJ/CN .14/75
(vi)
INTRODUCTION
1. This annual report of the Economio Commission for Afrioa (ECA), whioh oovers the period 7 February 1960 to 18 February 1961, was adopted by the Commission at its 55th meeting, on 18 February 1961. It is submitted to the'liloonomio and Sooial Council at itsthirty-seoond session in aooordanoe with paragraph 18 of the Commission's terms of reference, whioh '~tate's
that "the Commission shall submit to the Economic and Social Counoil onoe a year a full report on its aotivities and plans, including those of sub- sidiary bOdies".
1/
The Seoond Annual Report of the Commission (26 January - 6 February 1960) was submitted to the Economio and Sooial Counoil at its thirtieth
session (see Official Reoords of the Eoonomio and Social Counoil, thirtieth session, Supplement No. 10 (EV3320
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E!3452
E!CN.14!lO,
PART I
WOEK OF TFfill C01.\HIS"rON SINC:;:: THi: S;C:COllD S~SSION
,Organization of the Socretariat
ST,~7ING POSITION
2. Considor~bloprogreso was made in recruitment for the Secretariat during 1960. Hhereas ",t tho end of 1959 thero wero 17 professional staff members 121ld. 35 staff mEmbers in tho general service cc,tegory, by the end of 1960 the total st21f strength stood at 105 of whom 42 wore professional staff. Four moro professional ste1f had accepted offers of appointment and wore due to roport early in 1961. A considarable proportion of tho new st_1f joinod tne Secretariat during the fourth
qu~rter of tho ycar.
ADMINISTR."TIVE STRUCTUR.~ OF 'TIL S;:;:CH)]TARIAT 3. The structure of tho Secretariat was as follows.
(a) Office of the Jxeeutive SocratarYI
(b) Research Division, com)rising sections dealing with economic res3arch, SOCial resoarch and st~tistics;
(c) Division of Industry, Transport and Natural Resources;
(d) ;'CAjFf..O Joint :.griculture Division;
(e) Community Development Branch;
(f) Division of ~dministration, Conferences and General Services domprising a Personnel Office and Finance Office, Language Section, Library, Hegistry, Secretariat and Typing Pools and Documents Reproduction and Distribution Unit.
4. Attention was gi von during the yea:r to the building up of a reference library and to the collection and organization of' documents from Member States and from the United Nations and the specialized
agencies. The process ie by no means comploted and close attention will continue to be givon to this matter.
• E/3452 '
E/
eN.14/109 Pa,ge 2B. Summary of work done
5. In addition to the specific projects in the work programme approved by the second session the Secretariat was engaged in activities in
various African countries in the form of advisory services, help in drawing up 'technical assistance programmes and in emergency activities at the re~uest of Head~uarters. References are made to these activities in appropriate sections of this report and in section A of the Programme of Work and Priorities 1961-1962 (part V of this report) The Executive Secretary served as the Head of a United Nations technical· assistance mission which surveyed the needs of the countries of the Entente
11
andof Cameroun in 1960. He also took part in the debates of the Second and Third Commi ttees of the General Assembly on technical assistance.
The Deputy Executive Secretary advised on the reorganization of
public administration in Somalia and served in the Congo (Leopoldville) as a member of tho Consultative Group.
I. Research Division Economic and social devolopmont
6. During 1960 the Socretariat continued to collect and analyze information on plans, problems and policies in the field of economic and social developmont. Mombers of tho staff consulted gcvernment officials insevoral countries and engaged in preparatory studies of various aspects of developmon t polichrs and programming, in accordance with the programme of work and prioritios adopted by the Commission a~ its second session (E/3320, project 01-01 (a), pago 23).
7. A survoy of devolopment programmes and policies in selected African countries and torritories was prepared for inclusion in the first issue of the Economic Bulletin for "~rica (see paragraph 46 of this report). This survey, which is based on the official documents
11
The,se inclnde: Ivory Coast, Niger, Upper Volta, Dahomoy.•
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E/3452 D/CN.14!109 Page 3 listod in tho appendix to tho Bulletin article, cont~inB a description and classification of pl~s and polici08 in abo~t 20 countries and tGrri tories in ..-frioa. Tho various pl2.lls aro cL,ssifiod in two broad grouys. Tho first group includos plans which 1~rg3ly ropre"ont public expenditure programmes and do not contain projoctions, objectivGs or targets oor tho privat3 sector. It is sub-divided, by refo~anco to tho lineS of policy followod, into five categories: (1) pl}~s emphasizing produce evacua.tion, (2) plans emphasizing infrastructure for industry, (3) plans oonoontrcctin:;' on agrc.rioul and land reform, (4) plans
stressing improvemont of agricultural exports and (5) plans aiming at aocelerated industrialization. The second group inoludes plans which arc 90mprahonsive in tho sense tha,t they contain projections for' the econ.)my as a 'Iholo within a oonsist0nt framm,ork. Theee plans may be subdivided according to tho number of projections made ani the number of intor-ro12tionships amon£ economic vqriables considered.
8. The generGl impression conveyed by the survey is that, apart
from the countries of North .-frica, development programming in the re~~on
has gone little boyond planning of government capital expenditure;- It appears, however, that" stage has now boen reached ,There it becomes mora and more diffioult to say in what direction an economy should
be
guided to achievoits fastest rate of growth Dr to fore<cee where b6ttla- necks may develop. Realizing this, many governments in .Jrioa have moved towards the accept.1.lloe of a more comprehensivo conception of planning and economic policy, which they are now beginning to 'put into effect •
9. Plans hava been made to convene a working party on economic and social development in the autrunn of 1961 (~/3320, project Ol~Ol
(e),
page
23).
These plans, as well as the direction of further wCrk in the' fiel,d of devolopment policies ani programlling, aro descriCcd in an informaticm papor (ElcN .14/95), submi Hod to tho chiI'd session of the Commission. Proparatory work w~s also undertaken in connexion with the budget workshep (l!l/3320, project 01--05, page 24) which will beE/CN .14/109
P~e.4
oonducted in September 19610 Membsr of thG Secretario,t and of the
Dep~rtment of jconomic and Social ;Jfairs at Headquarters visited a number of iJrican countries and territoriss to consult governmGnt officials on teohnical aspects of budget reclassification and manage- ment and on the topics to·be selectee for discussion at the workshop.
10. The general discussion at the Conferenoe of Reads of Universities and Universi ty Colleges inlChartoum (see paragraphs 112-113 of this report) revealed widespread shortage of teaching staff 'lnd researoh facilities and also a feeling of insufficiency cf the volume of research carried on in ,~rica on problems relating to i~rican economic and social development. The conference m~de a number of suggestions for more
effective co-operation among universities and for assistance from
international organizations in their task of tho training' of economists, statisticians, public- administr~tors, managers of industries and related personnel.
11. The International~,ssociation for Research i.nto Income and Wealth held its first iJrican region?l conference in lLddis ,~baba from 4 to 10 January 1961. Senior officials responsible for work on national accounts
in
Africa and international experts in this field participated. The follOWing three topics were examined during the conf3rence: critical stook-taking of national income work in l\frica, special patterns of national income estimation in ,Jrica, and the uses of national accounts for development purposes.12. In response to aracommendation of the First ConferGnce of African Statisticians (J/3320, project 01-01 (b), page 23), the Commission took advantage of the presence of many n2tional income experts in ~ddis ~baba
to organi~e from 10 to 12 Janu~ry a short meeting, which was attended by twenty-seven participants in tha Lillr, Conference, on the uses of national accounts as a foundation for economic policy and development programming and related conclusions on the orientation of statistical development
in ~rica.· Lfter having successively examined the usc of national accounts, for short term forecasting and for the preparation of long term development
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])/3452 B/CN.14/109
Page 5 plans the working group recommended that the Economic Commiesion for
Africa.sho~ldbe invited to provide, upon request, to countries cUrrently undertaking large'scale development programmes,expert assistance for the est1l,bl.ishment of planning organizations to facilitate closer
oo-operation between national accountants and economic statisticians on the one,hand and the staff responsible for planning On the other. The report (E/CN.14/84), which contains other recommendations as well (pars,..
graph 63 below), will be eubmitted to the Second Conference of African Statisticians. It was circulated to the third session of ths Commission for information.
13. In t~e demographic field, the Commission has co-operated in a number of projects applying to the lurican region initiated by the Department of bconomic and Social :.ffairs at Headquarters. The first project. of participation in international programmes was a case study of arrangements for evaluating and utilizing population census results to show. how demographic data can sarve as a factual basis for government policies and action progr~mmes in various fields of economio and sooial deVelopment. A case study on this subject for the .::gyptian region was carried out by a staff member of the Commission in co-operation with the Government of the United !,rab Republic in connexion with the 1960 population census in that country. Close contact was maintained with the UN demographer assignsd to conduct a pilot study on population growth and manpouer in the Sudan on the basis of the 1956 census.
Furthermore, the Secretariat assisted the Department of ~conomic and Social .:..ffairs at Headqu3.rter. in the preparaticn of a five-year progrc,mme of ac.sist.nnco to undo:t-do,*olcpod countrios in popul e.t.ion studies wit~ epocial roforonco to tho' demographic needs of !~rica.
Demographic activities related to the Statistioal Survey of Africa:
and the Statistical Handbook are described in paragraphs 58,62 and 66 below.
14. Whereas the demographiC programme was initiated towards the end of 1959, work on sooial aspects of economic development did not start until the middle of 1960, when staff became available. To assist the
J
Uorking Party programme of part of this
:ill/
CN, 14/109Page 6
I.ccra ivorkshop on Extension of Family and Child i;elfare Services wi thin Community Development Programmes (see paragraphs 102 and 103 below), a p~per was prepared on the effects of urbanization on family life in .:.frica, mainly· designed to clarify the chief problems of family·
aq.justment in an I.frican urb= enviroment. This.laper which issubmi tted to the Cor'lmission f.or information C;/CN.14/7l) was prepared in close co- operation with the Community Development Branch.
15. l~rangementswere made with the Department of ·~conomic and Social j.ff~irs at Headquarters for studies in the field of low-cost housin.-> ,wi th special reference to self-help programmes. These ·studies will provide the basis for the 1961 l!orkshop scheduled under project
31-05. 4 stsrt was also made on the study of educational requirements under economic development programr"",s (E/2320, project 01-06, page 24) in co~operationwith the UN~SCO Liaison Officer to the Secretariat of the Commission. Field work in connoxion with this study will be ini tiated early in 1961.
16. The Secretariat participated in the Inter-•.gency held in Geneva in December 1960 to prepare a world-wide concerted action on the problams of· urbanization. ..s a
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programme, the illCL in cQ-oper~tionwith the Department of Jconomic and Sooial ,lffairs at Headquarters and the specialized agencios hdve planned a workshop on urbanization in :.frica in 1962. Basic preparatory work for these activities in ".frica haNS alreCldy been undertaken by
the Secretariat, including the collection of demographic data on African c.ities, and the compilation· of a comprehensive bibliography on, urbanization in:.frica (see also paragraph 104 below).
17. '1 general information .paper (Il/CN.14/70) on social aspects of
economic development was submitted to the third s ssion of the Commission. • This paper analyzes the inter-relationships between ~conomic and social
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eN.14/109?age
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factors in ifrica, discusses the special kind of souial rese~rch bast . sui ted to promote economic develo}Jment progrJ.mme:, and. outlines the
typel of activity contemplated by the Secretariat in this field over the next few years.
18. During the"past year the 3ecr0tariat pal'tioi?ated in various technical assistanoe activities, inoluding the evaluation of country programmes for the Department of :~conomic and. Soci ",I .ufairs at- Headquarters, and r~ndered. advisory servic9s to governments at their request. Two staff members partioipated for a considerable period of time in the eoonomio B.'1d financial lfOrk of the UN office of
Civilian Operations in the Congo. __ "dvisory services were rendered to the Government of Sudan in cormexion with the organization of its economic research and the Wadi HaIfa resettlement soheme for some 40,000 inhatitants who must be evaouated as a result of the
construction of the i,swan High Dam. In the latter case advice took the form of a written report from EC~, based on five weeks' intensive study of the social problems involved, cov0ring the questions of resettlement sites, social and economic policies, and kinds of technical assistanoe needed (see also paragraph
57).
Inte~ational trade
19. ~t its second ses3ion, the Commission accorded high priority to studies and reports in the field of internation~l trade. llesolution
7 (II)
requested the ~eoutiv0 Seorat~ry to prep~re studies on the effects of :Juropoan economic grou)ings on ,lfrioan economie~ for examination by an ~d hoc committee ofrepresent~tivescf members andassoci~te members. Moreover, resolution 8 (II) called for surveys of the state and potentialities of intra-1Srican trade ,xnd industry, and requested the ;creoutive Secretary to 18nd his assistance in the preparation for and the conduct of a conference of j.frio3l1 businessmen.
Finally, the programme of work and priorities approved for 1960-61
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included studies on regional traQe arra~gements m~de or contemplated in aroas other than western Europa and of international action to stab1ilize commodity prj.coB (E/1320, projects 02-01 (c) and 01-04 (b), pago 2'4).
20. In rosponS0 to those re~uests by th~ Commission, the EX9cutivo Secretary propared, in 1960, a report on the impact of West-European intcBTation on African trade Qnd dev&lopment (E!CN.l4!72), a study on
tho significance of recent common m~rk~t d~ve1opments in Latin Amerioa
E!CN.l4!64) and a report on international action to stabilize commodity prices (E/CN.l4!68}. Moreover, foreign trade developments and problems
were described and analyzed in the first issue of the Economi·o Bulletin for t~rica (see p~as. 42-45 below). The activitics of the
Secretariat in the field of international trade included also consult&- tions with government officials in a number of countries, collsction of documsntation, preparatory work on a number of specific problems and assistance in preparations for the Conference of African Businessmen.
21. In preparing the reportBmentioned above the Secretariat was greatly assisted by secondment of staff from the Economic Commission of Europe and the Department of Lconomic and Social l~fairs at Head'luarters.
Valuable 11ssisj;ance w;:;.s also provided by the Secretariat of GA.TT and by other bodies, including the &lropean :Jconomic Communi ty (E::C).
22. The report on the impact of west-European integration.. deals....
mainly with the EDC. When the report was prepared, the BEC had not yet taken certain major policy decisions contemplated in the Treaty of Rome which instituted the Community. It was therefore nacess~y to concentrate, on the one hand, on 11 factual desoription of recent
developments wi thin the :"JEC and, on the ·other, on a.n analysis of the effects of ths cue toms union provisions of the Rome Treaty on ~rican
overseas trade, intra-~rican trade and industrialization.
23. The report devotes special attention to the posi tien of ns,;ly inds)endent i~rican States which are aSsociated with the EEC. Their independence raised not only the problem of the legal status of the
313452 i/CN;l4,1l09 Page 9 countries concerned but also that of the terms of assooiation whioh had been formulated at a time when a passive relationship eXisted.
As far as 4rica'.s ov~rse:l.S trade is concerned, ths report' states
th~t the JEC tariff regime is not likely to have important oonseQuenoes for consumer prices and consumption in the JZC market. It may, however, influence current tr~de and production patterns in a number of important
l~rican export commodities, especially coffee, cocoa, vegetable oils, bananas and tropiCal timber in which tho ,.:frican countrL,s associated
with the ":;-';C would be expectecl to incr~ase their shares in th" :;";C market at tho exp"nse of non-associ~tsdcountries in iJrica and in other parts of tbe world. Some of the latter countries are also likely to suffer adverse effects in thair trade in and production of temperate-zone agricultural commodities. Gxistin:, information on supply conditions. in ,..:frica and on the reaotions of produoers in
l.:frican countries and territories to )rice changes does not provide an adequate basis for assessing th0 effects on production. Nevertheless, the report attempts to appraise the mgnificance of two factors, nam0ly, type of ownership (modern plantations or peasant holdings) and the' time- lag between investment and production. :~ attempt is made to assess in some detail the position of individual .~ricen countries ,U1d terri tories.
24. The 3~C and the DFTA have long-term implications for .~rican
industrialization, in the sense that th0y are likely to affect ourrent and potential produotion of and trade in processed materials and
manufactures. Whereas the countries associated with the ~EC are in a relatively favourable position, since their processed goods have duty- free access to the ~EC market, the ncn-associated countries will not benefi t from any special tar,iff concessions from either of· the
European trade groupin~s. The prospects of the export of manufactures from associated countrie.; to .Jurope are, however, 1imi tad and remo-te.
The immediate interest of these countries is, t~arofore, in industria- lization for the domestic market. In this respect countries associated
E/CN.14/l09
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wi th the EEC may run the risk of being hampered by certain aspects of their association especially if they "ere to prefer theadva.iltage of tariff conoessions fo~ primary products to the long-run gains of
"industrial development.
25. Intr~African trade "ould probably not be substantially affected in the immediate future by these trade groupings. In the somewh-.t ,longer run, however, the associated countries may find it, difficult , to reconcile their special relations ~;ith the DEC wi ththe need for
closer regional ties to promote intra-African trade and industrial'
development. This proble", is particularly important in lfest .\:frica where associated and non-associated count=ies are contiguous. The report
suggests therefore the organization of a special Uest-African trade
conf,erence prior to the renegotiation of the present convelftiori of associa- tion with the E:3C, which expires at the end of 1962. The purpose of
this conference would be to assess irest-.\:frican trade and development and to consider commercial and other policies which could be of mutual benefit.
26. In accordance with Commission Resolution 7 (IX) the'report on the impact of west-Europea."l Trade Groupings was discussed by an ~~
Commi ttee of government representatives ,':'ich mC'+' from 23 to 30
January 1961 at l,ddis Ababa. !.fter a thorough examination, during which information supplementing its contents was given, the committee suggested (~CN. 14/100) that
(i)
the propoeal for a spacial trade conferencefor West-Africa should be brought to the special notice of the 3rd session, (ii) the Seoretariat should maintain a constant review of developments in the ~EC ,which might affect ;\:frican economies, (iii) the Secretariat should examine the impaot of other preferential systems linking countries in Africa with non-African countries and should in future provide more detailed information on an analysis of the EFTA arrangements and other possible impact on i\:frican economies, (iv) first priori ty should be accorded to studies of intra-African trade and payment, transport and communication, etc. (vi without prejUdice to individual
;;:/3452 i/CN.l4/109 Page 11 ection by :£rican gove,nments, .SricQn msmbers ~nd associate members of ~CA could make collective representations through the Commission to lTIJC, jilFTJ., and indi vidual ~~urop8<-'1,n CO'..U1tri3S on any adverse effects of preferential and other tr~~e arrangements.
2'7. - The introductory part 0:' thG report on common market
dovoropments in Latin America discusses types of regional economic groupings in all parts of the world, the forms of institutional
arrangements adopted an~ the purposes of regional economio co-operation.
This is followod by a brief description of the structure and growth of the Latin Am~rican economies with special emphasis on tr~dc
and industrialization. The main body of tho report is devoted to an analysis of the various attompts to promote a L~tin ,imerican common 0 market. These include eith3r the region as a whole (proposals of the expert working group cf tho sconomic Commission for Latin l~erica) or parts of the region (theTreaty of Montevideo covering seven South
American countries and the Central llmerican Progr~mme of five nations).
Special attention is given to the problem of discrepancies betueen the levels of development reached by various participants and to consider~
detail, Latin The payment arrangem;on ts are also discussed in some
concluded.
G~TT of the arrangements principle of reciprocity tion by
and the
because of th" importance attached to th",se subjects by the American countries.
28. iUthough conditions in Latin :~erica differ from those prevailing in other regions, the experience descri")ed in the report would be of some relevance to other under-developed areas. Most under-developed countries may faoe serious difficulties if they attempt to in~ustrialize
in isolation, especially after the first phase of industrializ~tionin non-durable consumer goods has passed. In ;,frica, however, some of the newly independent countries ~re so small that they do not offer adequate markets even for non-durable consumer goods industries. Their situation is much more comparable to that of the Centr~l American Republic&owhere
ElcN.14/109
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the leval of industrial development is also low - than to that of the larger anQ more advanced Latin .~erican countries.
29.
In a sanse ;~rica is in a relctively .more f~vourable position for regionsl co-operation th~nLatin i~erica, since tha very fact .th~t there are oertain wall--stablished industries in Latin i~erica pre-Qisposes people to think in terms of industry based on nationsl markets alpne;anQ for this reason th2r8 is considerable resistanoe to the iQea of broader regional m2,rkets. In i.fricJ. thexe may b8 fewer obstacles to overoome
,
in the form of vested interests. There a::oe ".lso other" respects in lrhich tha economic background of i~ricJ.l1 countriss may facilitate region?l
co-oper~tion. lUCrican countries have not, in the past, experisnced
intern~l and external dis;quilibrium on the sc~le that is characteristic of Latin ;~erica. This is connected with tho hitherto dependent status of hfrican countries and with the absence of pressures for economic and
industri~l development suoh &s havo prevailed in Latin America. l.frican countries are not so far faoed with the obstao·:J.os to co-oper"tion which result from such factors as rapid inflation or currency instability.
There is, however, the QBnger that t~0 creation of 11 large numJer of independent African States, each possessing economic and monetary
autonomy may lead to the ~r~gmentationofmarkets, rather than to .closer and more comprehensi va co-operation. l1.fric!U1 countries do·-,nOvl have the opportuni ty, durine· their transi tion to independence, to build on
experience of economic co-operaticn inherited from the past and·to aQapt and utilize th.:lt Qxperience in n8"';; "'.;rays and fOT new purpOS,JS. .. ... ,
30. The report on commodity stabilization examines the general problem of commodi.ty instability, the principles 'Ihich may be applied in dealing with this problem and the development of international action in the fields of production and tra~e in primary commodities. It then considers the st~tistical position of i£rio2n countries and territories in.v~rious
commodity markets, proceeding therefrom to a brief discussion of the goneral attit~des which •.frican governm~ntsmight adopt to existing or projected stabilization schemes.
r
,
E/3452
E/
()N.14/109Page 13
31. The predominant role of' primary commodities in their economies makes African countries and territories keer.ly interested in any action for commodity stabilization, Despite marked incr0cses in recent years, Africa's share in world exports of F.lost primary oommodi ties remains comparatively small. But i\.fricar. exports of individual primary oommodities are fre~uentlJ conc£ntrated in a few countries, which may therefore occupy a strategic position in respeot to international schemes for commodity stabilization even in CaS6& where Africa, as a region, does not dominate the market. Whatever the statistical position of a given commodity, there is likely to be some scope for regional co-operation, ..hich vill almost certainly become more and more important for commodity s~abilization tn coming years. What appears to be a promising form of regional co-operation in j~rica is the co-ordination of the policies of existing organs such as "marketing boards" and "caisses de stabilisation".
32. In the past, international negotiations on commodities were often conducted by metropolitan countries on behalf of their dependent
terri tories in Africa. From no,; on the governments of the newly independent African oountries will take an increasingly aotive part in shaping international oommodity policies. One of their main
problems at present appears to be the policies to adopt on restrictionist schemes which may conflict with the basic interest of l.frican gro..th and effioiency.
33. Although intra-.Srican tro,de is mentioned only oooa.sionally in the various documents produced by the Secretariat, vork on the subject has been a ma.jor preoccupation throughout the year. An attempt ..as made to obtain at least a summary picture of the problems ra.ised by and possible ways of promoting intra"lSrican trade. Its importance was found to be greatest for ~est Africa, but also very marked for a number of countries in other parts of the continent.
34. hs far as West-l~rican ,rade is concerned., the 3xecutive Secretary considers that there is an urgent need for surveys of unrecorded trade among the countries concerned. A major effort is alsc re~uired to
EjCN.14!109
p.-~.',., - ,1
<:"'-'~ - " t
clarify anc. irnp::ovt) :=o::-8ie;n tra(le s-:atistict:. &.nci to ~-;,urVGY in d0tail cus'tom's' regulatiers, cla.35if1ciJ. tion:.:; and. :pra.c1;;ices in West-African ccuntri8G. ~hc::,c :.ctivi-Li·s "'.!Tl-l.ld c.;,;,ll ::'~OI' cl03G co-o!-,:.:ratiun n,)t o:t:l~r
with tho gDvOrn;:lvnts but alBo -;,'ith comm0Tcial acd. industria,l firms oporating in the aro~.
35. In this connexion the IixOQutivc Jl)CT€::ta,r:c is looking forward to the Conference of African Busin,-:8~JmCnYlhich is to bE; convened in 1961 to consider lntra-Afric"-n capi tJ.l movow.mts, oxp(1nsien of trade and markets amenc; 1,frican countries and co-opoC'ation through joint venture in the devolopmoht of thcir n~tur~l rdsourcos by private enterpriso. A momber of thG Socrutariat attended tho preliminary mooting hold at Monrovia in oarly August 1960, and tho ZXDcutivG Secretary continueG to koep in close touch with developments in the plcnnine; of thc Conferonce.
36. In the ceursc of its work on trade problemG the SGcretari~t
notod. thO,t c.. considorebl"J amount of know'lodGo is accWTIulc,tod in
I\·~inist:ri8s of Trade, Ch,'.1m1";e:~8 of Comrr.crc'~-', Cu~:doms ..::.d.ministrations and other.bodies whioh would be of groat hel? in the interprotatior.
of published data. CloSG and continuous rol&tions should thoroforo be established bot·woen tho SucrGt~3,.riJ.,t ant thL; offici2.,ls of' thoSG
bodios. Th8 in tcrpret3."ti()!1 oJ:' quanti. tl1ti vc and qU3.1i tativc informo. tion relating to trad.o requiros hi,;hly specialized knOl-rlodgc both of trade problems in g0noral and of tt0 special oonditions in ~fric~n countries in pa.rticuln.r. I t has provo,:;,. d.ii'ficult to ;:-.(~cur,j tno sorvicos of economists export in 81thor of th0.~..:; fields, o,nd virtulll.l;y imposuiblc to find any qualified in both. Hence, the trad~ work of tho Socretariat n,ay be hampered in comine; :vc:J,rG b,j" ctc,ffinc; difficul ti0S ]·;hich c<>n only be oVercom0 by GxtcnsiV0 traininG and spocialization of the 38c~et~rint1s
research sta:f:f.
Intornational economio ·'.s8iotanc0 to }:..frica
37.
In response to tho re~ucGt containQ~ in p:J,ragr:J,ph55
of tho roport of tho first SE)ssion of tlH, Commission (L!3201) and as a s2'luol to the roview of Current bi::"a tor·-.l and mu.l tila toral oconomic a>5sista.nco to LfricCl prGpa'l'C'd in 1959 for the second scs~~;ion L/On.14/23), a reviuw..
E!345Z
E!rm
;14/109 Page 15of international economic assistantance to Africa (E/CN.14/88)was prepared by the Department of 3conomic and Social Affairs at Headquarters in
consultation with the Secretariat of the Commission.
38. This review analysyses the flow of public assistance in the form of grants-in-aid, long-term loans in cash or kind of an eoonomic nature, and corresponding re-payments of prinoipal. Bilateral and multilateral assistance received by African oountries and territories in the two-year period 1957-1959 is summarized in tabular form by contributing country or international agency and by recipient country or territcry. The tabular summary is followed by a description of recent development in multilateral aseietance, including loans by the Internation!!l llllllk for Reconstruction and Development, and contributions by lkli ted Nations technical assistance agencies to African countries and territories for the period 1 January 1958 - 31 December 1959. Information is also
provided, detailed by recipient country, on United Nations Speoial Fund projects, the Special Commonwealth African Assistance Plan (SCAAP), and the European Economic Development Fund. Finally, material is
presented on recent developments in bilateral assistanoe from four major sources, namely France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the Uhited States, with details under eaoh soheme and programme.
39. The review shows that in reoent years there has been a steady and remarkable growth of international assistance to Afrioa, although until a year or two ago, in the perspective of the period 1953/1954 - 1957/1959, suoh assistance had increased somewhat less than in the oase of the underdeveloped regions of Latin America and Asia.
40. As regards loans made to Africa as a whole by the Interna.tional Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Africa's share of all loans by
ths Bank ha.sstrikingly increased. Up to 30 June 1959 that share was only $589 million out of a total of $4,426 million, i.e. 13.3 per cent;
but it rose to 36.3 per oent ($239.2 million out of $659 million) in the period 1 July 1959 - 30 June 1960. Similarly, the proportion of all regular United Nations technical assistance funds devoted to Africa.
31 May h60,
~
total of $6,615,200 fr.om the United Natione Special Fund WaS approved for African countries. Similar increases have been recorded in bilateral aseistMce, Md th~re is reason to believe that the trend will conti,aue; but the increases record still fall short of needs.Review Md analysis of current trends
41. The first issue of an Economic Bulletin for Africa (E/CN.14/67) WaS prepared in accordance ~nth the programme of work and priorities approved by the COw~ission at its second session (see E/3320, project 03.01, page 24). This comprises t1<O analytiCal parts and a statistical sppendix containing foreign trade and production data; Part A deals with current trends, mainly in the field of trade, while Part E contains three articles on specific subjects.
42. The preparation of the first issue of the Bulletin met with difficultiss due to the great number of countries and territories to be covered, the shortage of staff at the beginning of 1960, the rapid
: " . . ' .
political and institutional changes during the year and, above all,
."
the general lack of adequate statistical and.factual information. Even when such information was potentially .available it proved often diffioult for the Secretariat to obtain it in time. The differences in nomencla- ture and classifioation among national statistios, frequent revisions of data already published, varying shares of unrecorded trade and other
.
eimilar shortcomings should also be mentioned as serious problems, Only close co-operation between the EGA Secretariat and African
governments oan eliminate or reduce some of these difficulties for the future, and thus improve the quality of
.
. . ~he Secretariat's work.43. As i:e eho~m in Part A 'L th~ Bulletin, total African trade between 1958 and 1959 followed very closely the general trade pattern of primary
exporting countries •. The latter year was one of expanding economic activity in industrial ccuntries, though the expaneicn affected the trade of industrial countries ~nth one another more that their trade
E/3452 E/CN.14/109 Page 15
of international economic assistantance to Africa (E!CN.14/88)was prepared by the Department of 3conomic and Social Affairs at Headquarters in
consul tation with the Secretariat of the Commission.
38. This review analysyses the flow of public assistance in the form of grants-in-aid, long-term loans in oash or kind of an economic nature, and corresponding re-payments of principal. Bilateral and multilateral assistanos received by African countriss and territories in the two-year period 1957-1959 is summarized in tabular form by contributing country or intsrnational agenoy and by recipient country or terri tory. The tabular summary is followsd by a description of' recent development in mul tilateral assistance, including loans by the Internation!lJl Bank tor Reconstruction and Developmsnt, and contributions by Uni ted Nations technical assistance agencies to Afrioan countries and territories for the period 1 January 1958 - 31 December 1959. Informat~onis also
provided, detailed by recipisnt country, on United Nations Special Fund projects, the Special Oommonwsalth African Assistance Plan (SCAAP), and the European Economic Development Fund. Finally, material is
presented on recent developments in bilateral assistance from four major souroes, namely France, the Soviet Union, ths United Kingdom and the United States, with details under each scheme and programme.
39. The review shows that in recent years there has been a eteady and -remarkable growth of international assistance to Africa, although until a year or two ago, in the perspeotive of' the period 1953/1954 - 1957/1959, suoh assistance had increased eomewhat less than in the case of the underdeveloped regions of Latin Amerioa and Asia.
40. As regards loans mads to Africa as a whole by the International Bank -for Reconstruction and Development, Africa's share of' all loans by the Bank has strikingly inoreased. Up to 30 June 1959 that share was only $589- million out of a total of $4,426 million, i.e. 13.3 per cent;
but it rose to 36.3 per oent ($239.2 million out of $659 million) in the period 1 July 1959 - 30 June 1960. Similarly, the proportion of all regular United Nations technical assistance funds devoted to Africa
WCN.14!109
Page·11:6
increas.ed from 6 to 16.3 per ceflt between 1955 and 1960, while, as of 31 May 1960, a total of $6,615,200 from the United Nations Speoial Fund was approyed for African countries. Similar inoreases have been recorded. in bilateral assistance, and.there.is reason to believe that the trend will cont:.llue; but the increases record sti·llfall short of needs.
Review and analysis of current trends
41. The first issue of an Econolllic Bulletin for Afri.ca. (E!CN.14!67) was prepared in accordance wi th the prog:camme of work and priori ties
approved by the Commission at its second session (see l!V'3320, project 03.01, Page 24). This comprises two analytical parts and a statistical appendix containing foreign trade and production data; Part A deals with current trends, mainly in the field of trade, while Part E ·oontains three articles on specific subjec~3.
42. The preparation of ~he first issue of the Bulletin .met with difficulties due to the great number of. countries and territories to be covered, the shortag~ of staff at the beginning of 1960, the rapid poli tiCal and instit1.,tio~al changes during the year and, above all, the general lack of adequa~e statistical and factual information. Even when such information was potentially ava:'.lable it proved often diffioul t for the Seoretariat to obtain it in time. The differences in nomenc1&- ture and classification among national statistics, frequent·revi~ionsof data already published, varying shares of unrecorded trade and other similar shortcomings should also be mentioned as serious problems.
Only close ?o-operation between the ECA Secretariat and African
governments can eliminate or reduce some of these difficulties for the future, and thus improve thr;> quality of the Secretariat's work.
43. As i:s shmm in Part Ar,.: tl)e Bulletin, to.ta1 Afrio.an trade between 1958 and 19~9 fol~owedvery closely the general trade pattern of primary exporting cou'1tries • . The latter year was one of expandingeconomio activity in industrial countries, though the expansion affected :the trade of industrial countries with one another more that their trade
•
E/3452 E/CNo14/109
Page
17
with primary oountries. While it is true that the volume of exports from primarY:SxP6rting countries showed an impressive rise between
1958
and
1959,
~ fufth~r dedtirie in the prices of primary oommodi ties made the primary exporting oountries' corresponding gain in foreign exohartgeearnings considerably smaller. On the whole, despite the greater quantity of good exported, the
1959
expansion did 11 ttle more than restore the'1957
level of these countries' export proceeds.44.
Roughly in line with the overall increase in exports of primary exporting oountries, total African exports in volume terms showed a rise of somewhat over10
per oent, while the increase in value did not amount to half, that figure. Imports, on the other hand, were pelow the1958'
level in both volume and value. Expressed as a percentage of imports,' exports rose from
73.7
per cent in1958
to almost81
per cent in1959,
but, as already stated, this' 'improvement in the trade balance of the region was partly due to reductions in importe, especially, in many cases, imports of capital goods. The figures for the first quarter of
1960
show a further inorease in .\frican exports, but also in contrast to the1959
developments - a substantial rise in imports, probably refleoting the higher level of export proceeds achieved in1959,
with du.e regard to the usual time-lag.45.
The trends in total African exports and imports, however, conoeSJ.signifioant divergencies in the development of trade in individual couht- ries and territories. It appears in general that, as in the case of most primary exporting countries, African exporters of raw materials fared considerably better in
1959-60
than oountries and territorieswhich belo,ng to the predominantly food-exporting group. However, inoreases in the qUantities of the products exported enabled a number of countries in the, latter group to achieve substantial increases in their export values despite the decline in prices of food products. Moreover, in a few cases certain exceptional circumstances played an important role in determining the
1959
export level. The changes by sub-region and oountry in exports and imports in1958, 1959
and, whenever possible, in the firstEj3452
i/
ON ,14/109Page 18
part of 1960 are discussed in some detail in the Bulletin, which also includes notes on produc~ion of and trade in a nUmber of individual African export commodities;
46. Part B of the Bulletin oontains a survey of development programmes and policies (see paragraphs 7 and 8 above), an article on institutional changes in seleoted African oOtmtries and an analysis of eoonomio a.9Velo~
ments in the Republic of the Congo(Leopoldville) from 1957 to September 1960.
47. In reoent years, important institutional changes have taken place in Afrioan oountries, particularly in the fields of foreign economio relations and central banking. Such ohanges ooourredin a large number of oountries belonging to the Frano Zone. Wi thin the Sterling A:rea, where changes were more iimi ted in scope, Ghana, Nigeria and the
J Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland were selected for closer analysis.
Outside the two main currency areas, important institutional changes occurrcd in the Congo (Leopoldville) and Somalia. The analysis of individual oountries is preoeded by brief appraisals of the mechanisms of the Franc Zone and the Sterling A:rea from the point of view of their African members.
48. The main positive features of the Franc Zone arrangements are summarized as follows: (a) on the monetary side these arrangements were used to eliminate balanoe-of-payments diffioulties (at least in relation to the Zone) as an obstacle to economic development; (b) they included a large-scale programme of public assistance with investments mostly in infrastructure; (c) by achieving some degree of stablilization of commodi ty prices wi thin the Zone, they gave a considerable incentive to primary production; (d) 'they also provided a framework favour~ble to trade expansion between members other than Metropolitan France. Howeveri there were also certain inherent dangers, especially in the long term, since the arrangements tended to create semi-autarkic conditions with a pattern of high prices. Moreover, the working of the whole meohanism
..
•
•
Ej3452 i/ml.14/109
:"ago 19 involved strongly centralized pooers of decision in all fields - a feature which was inco)lrpatible "i th the growing poli tioalautonomy.
The attitude of the member oountries of the France Zone after
independence varied from a clear break (Guinea) to nagoti ',ted adjust- ments (Malagasy Republic and the former Mali Federation), while Morocco and Tunisia retained some links with the Zone.
49.
The extreme flexibility of the Sterling .~ea arrangements makes an appraisal .rather difficult. The trade preferences of the Commonwealth tended to decrease in importance, but members continued to derivesignificant advantages from belonging to a vast trading area with varied resouroes .and a convertible currency. The Currenoy BoardS instituted in the colonies Were replaced by central banks, as. they were not equipped to create local capital and money markets or to serve as a tool of
government policies. Finally, the price paid f,:Jr the banking and monetary services of the Sterling ;~ea was frequently felt to be too high and
attempts were made to ohange the distribution of offioial holdings.
50. The article on the Republio of the Congo (Leopcldville) was
originally prepared by a United Naticns economist, during his assignment to the United Nations Office of Civilian Operations in the Congo, for the use of experte advising the Congolese Government on general economio and financial problems. This Bulletin article reviews general economic developments in the Congo from 1957 until the eummer of 1960 and presents an analysis of economic conditionG and problems during the first three months following independence.·
51. The Republic of the Congo did not attain independence in fa.vourable economic circumstances. In fact, at the i'nd of J1lIle 1960 the economy
was operating below capacitYl unemployment was substantial in urban centres, and foreign exohange reserves and treasury balances had declined to
abnormally low levels. This situation was aggravated as a result of the events which tookplace after the attainment of independence.
52. In September 1960, eoonomic conditions were characterized by low utilization of pl.ont and eq,uipment, increased unemployment in urban a.rea.s
E/CN.14/109~3~2
P~e 20
and substantial declines in the volume of foreign trade and in public revenue and expenditure, 'The basic reasons fer the deterior~tionin supply and production were lack of security, break-down of the admini- strative machinery, cessation of relations with Katanga and lack of a national central bank. The same factors contributed also to a steep decline in the volume of aggregate demand, which however, mitigated the danger of serious inflationary pressures.
53. The physical machinery of production and distribution remained largely intact at that time. The broad aim of a rational economic policy would therefore be to improve supply conditions rather than to curb the growth of demand. Aggregate demand should be allowed and - whenever neoessary - even stimulated to grow in step with the improvement of supply conditions.
Statistical survey of Africa
54. In implemanting the Statistioal Survey (E/3320, project 04-01,
page 25), the Secretariat took steps during 1960 to follow up developments and, where requested1 to render direct assistance to members and associate members in the preparation of programmes covering statistical activities
over the next five years, Three statisticians from the Secretariat and also a UN Regional Adviser appointed under the Technical Lssistance Regional Programme visited seven North African and eleven West African countries during the first half of the year. In addition, two informal meetings were convened at the instance of the Executive Secretary. The first of these, which was held in Nairobi from 30th May to 3rd June 1960, was' between two EOA statisticians and the heads of the statistical offices of Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, the East African Statistical Department and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; the second, held in O~ro
from 21st to 24th November 1960 was between the UN hdviser, two EOA statisticians and the heads of the statistical offices of Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and UAR.
55. During the visits to individual countries and also at the two
informal meetings country programmes for the Statistical Survey of Africa
•
~,~~.;--- E/3452
i/
eN~14/109Page 21
were discussed, advice was 'given on technical assistance requirements in connexion with those programmes and the subjects of regional co-operatiop in the statistical field, training requirements, exchange of doouments and evaluation of data were also covered.
56~Projects of co-operation for 1961 were considored at both the informal meetings, At Nairobi a review was made of field surveys due
to be started in East and Contr~l lSrica in 1961-62 and i t was decided that study tours could well bo organized in 1962, when household surveys would be in opvration. At Cairo forthcoming activities by the participating countries were reviewed and it was suggested that a visit to the Tunisian Surveys might take plano in Juno 1961 on the ocaasion of tho Second
Conference of I~rican Statisticians and that a study tour would bo planned for tho third q11arter of 1961 to visit field surveys in UAR and Morocco.
57. Plans for training centres in three countrics, to provide training on a sub-regional basis with UN Assistance, are under negotiation with tho countries concerned and are referred to in more detail in the training section of this report. The Commission has provided technical assistance to Tunisia in connexion with that ceuntryt s programme of statistical surveys and to Sud.an in ccnnexion with the ]'ad.i HaIfa survey and with a programma of statistical expansion ancillary to tho Sudanose Seven-Yoar Development Plan.
58p ConsULtativo advico was provided in connexion with tho censuses and demographic surveys being carried out in North and West lefriea by the domographer of tho Commission during two visits made to these sub-rogions and during tho study tour of West African statisticians on pcpulation census techniques.
59. In accordance with tho recommendations of the First Conference
of African Statisticians (ruport E/CN.14/25 paras. 61 and 64), arrangoments havo,been mad.e to convene a socond conference of l~rican statisticians in the second half of June 1961. It will be tho task of that conference to review the progress of tho Statisticial Survey of ~~vica to d.ate and to rocommond lines of future dovelopment. The Govornment of Tunisia has kind.ly oxtended an invitation for the conference to be held in Tunis.
E!CN.14!109 Page 22
60. Iiuring 1960 a U~ I:.d7ir;er on statisti.cs was seconded to the Secretariat for the specific purPOSG of vi,si ting African countries and assessing their technicala.s'sistance needs. He assisted the statisticians of the Secretariat who had occasion to vis:'t countries in connetion with the preparation of"
country programmes for the Sta+'iotical ~lrvey of Africa. The Secretariat
maintained close contact with the Department of Economic ~ld Social Affairs at Headquarters and played an active part i~ the negotiations for assistance requested by African cov~tries. A me~ber of the Secretariat participated in a technical assistance mission to Somalia, to assess the needs of that country for assistance in the statistical ~iel<ls.
61. A detailed prog::-elJs r~port on
t.",
Statistical Survey of Africa is submitted to the Third Session of tUG Commissio~ (E/CN.14/83).Exchange of infor;nticm &71d dcv~J.c:£rr.(;nt
o.f
f'ltatistical techniques62. A study tour in connexion with the Ghan,a census 1,as held in Accra. from 3rd to 20th Jtme 1960 in co-operation with the Gov9rn~ont of Ghana. The study tour which was held with the participation of most countries of the sub- region, was organized in conjv~c·'ionwith the post-enwnerativn survey of the Ghana population cen~,s and served as a demonstratio~ projects in problems relating to the collection of demogTaphio data ia West Lfrica. It permitted a disoussion of the :!!lElr.41~.:r.:3 o.~'i.Q o:.'crational Q.8:?eut 01 !,opulaticn censuses. and an evaluation o:!: w,ria'~iotl3 in techniques in the c01mt:;,ies representod at the meeting.
63. Two warl:ing grcu;Js on national 2.ccounts met i.n Ado.is Abab3. from 27 June to 2 July 1960 ani from 10 to 12 Janua~ 1961, respectively. The first working group was concerned with a methodological study, viz.: the treatment of non-moneta17 (subsistence) transactions within the frame1rork of national accounts. It formulated a series of recommendationn on the subject contained in a roport (E/CN.14/60) which
u.:.n
De C'..:.bmHi.·ed. to the S:;,cond Conference of African Statisticians. The second working group was concerned with practical applioations of national accounting to the needs of ~e,~lop~ent programming•
iX
--_
..,~-_..._---,
~·I ....4""~
E!CN.14!109 T'r
n:f'
?~(paragraph aboye), It formula'ced a series 0:' recQmmenua tions affecting the programme of work of the Economic Commission for Africa: recommendations on a programme of meetings to be convened by EGA, cn the revision of the UN , national accounts questionnaire, on the compilation of a handbook on national accounts statutes, on the preparation of a manual of methods of estimation of national accounts for use in Africa, and on a training prcgramme for national accounts statisticians. Theae reccmmendations, contained in the report of the working group (E!CN,14!84) will be submitted to the Second Conference of African Statisticians. Both reports mentioned above wsre circulated to the third session of the Commission for information.
64. A bibliography of s'tatistical publications on African countries and territories has been prepared and is submitted as an information document to the third' session of the Commission (E!CN;14!65); The first two issues of a statistical news-letter were published in July 1960 and January 1961 respecti vely.
Processing and Publication of Statistical Data
65. Statistical data for the Economic Bulletin for Africa and for economic studies undertaken by the Secretariat were compiled and analyzed during 1960. A reference unit has been instituted to collect and collate published statistical information for this and similar purposes. However, the receipt of countries' stati.tical publications continues to be much delayed,
particularly in the field of trade statistics. As a result the statistical tables included in the Economic Bulletin had to b6 revised and, reduced to less ambitiou~ proportions. As the Secr9tariat is mainly dependent upon countries', statistical offices for the supply of up-tO-date information, it cannot be over-emphasized that a ready flow of such information is
necessary if the Secretaria', is to gi va its fullest possible service in the
~ processing of data. Moreover, lack cf comparability between nat~onal
statistics based ,m different systems prese:p.-ts numerous difficulties. The Seoretariat proposes to raise this matter at the Second Conference of
~/3452 E!CN.14/109 Page 24
African Statisticians .and to ask the Conference to make appropriate
recommendations for promoting a greater degree of uniformity ~n this respect, espeoially with regard to trade classification, as recommended by the
Commission at its second session (E/3320, paragraph 105).
66. Work is proceeding on the first of the projected statistical hand- books. This will be devoted to demography and will bring together the various statistical series that are available for African countries in the fields of population and manpower. The aim is to facilitate intra-regional and international comparison of eXisting statistical series, studies on
reliability and accuracy of each series and examination of scope and coverage in relation to development needs.
II. Industry, Transport and Natural Resouroes ·Division 67. Recruitment of staff members in the professional grades progressed rather slowly during the year. At the end of the year one transport economist was at work in Addis Ababa. Industrial economists have been recruited and are expected to take up their duties early in 1961.
68. A programme of work was established in consultation with the
Department of Economic and Social Affairs at Headquarters. Co~cperation from Headquarters in the study of a number of areas of special interest to the
region is expected Under the expanded programme of work on indu·strialization to be carried out by the new Committee on Industrial Development established by the Economic and Social Council.
69, In responSe to the request by the Commission at its first session for studies of selected transport problems in Africa, a study (E/CN.14/63) was
. i"'·
prepared for submission to the third session on transport problems in West Africa in relation to economio development. This study stresses the fact
that hardly anywhere in Africa is there a fully integrated transport system permitting a rational selection of the mode of transport best suited to
