UN General Assembly
1984

163. Africa's performance in the international trade sector also leaves much to be desired. The collapse of the prices of our principal export commodities has drastically reduced our foreign-exchange earnings. Export values in 1983 declined by 32 per cent below those of 1980. Africa lost over $2 billion from its export of five primary commodities alone during the period 1979-1981 as a result of the continuous decline in the prices of raw materials. This phenomenon has aggravated the balance-of-payments deficit, which stood at $2.7 billion in 1982 for Africa as a whole.