Tarayyar Afirka, wacce a da ake yiwa laƙabi da Organization of African Unity (OAU), ta samar da tarihin dogon lokaci na neman hadin kan ƙasashen Afirka. An kafa OAU a ranar 25 ga Mayu, 1963, kuma ta yi aiki har zuwa shekarar 2002 lokacin da aka maye gurbinta da Tarayyar Afirka (AU).
OAU ta kasance tana da muhimmiyar rawa a fagen kasa da kasa, musamman a bangaren daga kasa da kasa na Afirka. Ta shirya tarurrukan shekara-shekara na shugabannin ƙasashe da gwamnatoci, kuma ta yi aiki a matsayin majalisar ministocin wanda ya ƙunshi ministocin harkokin waje na ƙasashen mambobi. OAU ta taka rawar gani wajen sulhu a rikice-rikicen iyaka da yakin basasa a yankin, kama yadda ta yi a rikicin Algeria da Morocco a shekarun 1963-64 da Kenya da Somalia a shekarun 1965-67.
A shekarar 1993, OAU ta kirkiri tsarin don shiga cikin yin sulhu da kiyaye sulhu a yankin. A shekarar 1998, OAU ta shirya kwamitin kasa da kasa da tsohon shugaban Botswana Quett Masire ya jagoranta don binciken kisan gilla da aka yi a Rwanda a shekarar 1994. Rahoton kwamitin an sake shi a shekarar 2000.
A shekarar 2000, shugaban Libya Muammar al-Qaddafi ya gabatar da wani tsari don maye gurbin OAU da wata sabuwa, Tarayyar Afirka (AU). AU ta fara aiki a watan Yuli 2002, bayan an amince da Dokar Kafa ta AU ta mambobin OAU. AU ta kafa majalisar dinkin duniya ta Afirka, kotun shari’a, da bankin tsakiya. Yanzu, AU tana da mambobi 55.
