The **pan-African colours** are red, gold and green, derived from the flag of Ethiopia, the only African state to maintain its independence through the era of European colonialism. Adopted in turn by Ghana on independence in 1957 and by many African states thereafter, the pan-African palette signals continental solidarity. Black is sometimes added, after the flag of the Universal Negro Improvement Association of 1920.
**Example**: The flags of Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau all use the pan-African red, gold and green.
**See also**: [pan-arab-colors](/glossary/pan-arab-colors/), [tricolour](/glossary/tricolour/), [tincture](/glossary/tincture/), [horizontal-tricolour](/glossary/horizontal-tricolour/)