This comes after Mali won a record eighth continental crown in the female version of the tournament a few days back in Maputo, Mozambique.
Mali and Mozambique will represent Africa at the next Under 19 World Cup in 2019; Mali clinched a huge 86-33 win over Mozambique to win the title.
From today to Sunday September 2, Mali will be attempting to repeat its winning feat in the Male division ahead of 11 nations.
The 12 teams have been grouped into two groups with Host Mali and Egypt pegged as favorites to progress from Group A to the next stage.
In Group B, defending champions Angola and Tunisia are heavily tipped to progress ahead of Senegal, Rwanda, Algeria and Ivory Coast.
Uganda, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya make up the rest of Group A. The top two teams will progress to next year’s Under 19 World Cup.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
