With the admission of Morocco into the African Union as of January 30th, 2017, the AU now consists of all fifty-five countries on the continent. Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the main goals of the African Union are to promote the unity and solidarity of African states; ensure their sovereignty and territorial integrity; rid the continent of colonialism and apartheid and promote international cooperation with the United Nations through a unified voice of common political, social and economic policies. Although the African continent has suffered through an incredibly turbulent and violent past, the African Union is emerging as a promising platform to tackle the many issues that face the rapidly growing continent.