Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity
The Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity served as the head of the Organisation of African Unity, a rotating position.
Image: Haile Selassie in full dress (cropped)
Image: Nasser portrait 2
Image: The National Archives UK CO 1069 50 1
Image: Haile Selassie in full dress (cropped)
Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's establishment was Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. It was disbanded on 9 July 2002 by its last chairman, South African President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by the African Union (AU). Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and economic integration among member states, and to eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism from the African continent.
Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie with President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser in Addis Ababa for the Organisation of African Unity summit, 1963.
Egypt's president Nasser at the Cairo summit 1964