Organisation of African Unity

The Organisation of African Unity was founded on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together newly independent African states with the stated aims of promoting unity and solidarity among African nations, coordinating economic and diplomatic cooperation, defending members' sovereignty, and eradicating remaining colonial rule across the continent. Its founding was championed by leaders including Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, who hosted the founding conference, and Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah, a leading advocate of pan-African unity, and the organization established its permanent headquarters in Addis Ababa. Over nearly four decades the organization supported liberation movements against colonial and white-minority rule in territories including Rhodesia, Namibia and apartheid-era South Africa, while also serving as a forum for resolving disputes between African states, though it was frequently criticised for a reluctance to intervene in members' internal affairs. The Organisation of African Unity was formally dissolved and replaced by the African Union in 2002, which inherited its Addis Ababa headquarters and many of its structures while adopting a broader mandate for political and economic integration.