The first games to open to the entire African continent occurred a full forty years after they were first envisioned.

The colonizers felt the games might serve to unite Africa, and help them break free from their colonial status.

All highways in and out of Brazzaville were patrolled by armored vehicles and all cars within the city, except for games participants and journalists, were stopped and inspected at major checkpoints.

The games' success was due in a large part to the emerging African stars, such as Wilson Kiprugut Chuma (silver medalist in the Tokyo 800 meters), Mohammed Gammoudi (silver medalist Tokyo, 10,000 meters), and Kip Keino, Naftali Temu and Mamo Wolde, who would all win medals three years later at the Mexico City Olympic Games.

The top medal winning nation was the United Arab Republic, at one time a political union of Egypt and Syria.