Medal summary
"a" denotes electronic timing was used.
| 1979 African Championships in Athletics | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2–5 August |
| Host city | Dakar, Senegal |
The 1979 African Championships in Athletics were held in the Stade Iba Mar Diop [1] in Dakar, Senegal, between 2 and 5 August. There were a total number of 251 competitors from 24 countries, with 23 men's and 16 women's events.
"a" denotes electronic timing was used.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nigeria (NGR) | 8 | 9 | 7 | 24 |
| 2 |  Algeria (ALG) | 7 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| 3 |  Kenya (KEN) | 6 | 9 | 5 | 20 |
| 4 |  Ghana (GHA) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 |  Ethiopia (ETH) | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 6 |  Tunisia (TUN) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 |  Ivory Coast (CIV) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 |  Morocco (MAR) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 |  Egypt (EGY) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 |  Sudan (SUD) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 |  Cameroon (CMR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Gabon (GAB) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 |  Senegal (SEN) | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 14 |  Tanzania (TAN) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 15 |  Congo (CGO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 |  Uganda (UGA) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 17 |  Rwanda (RWA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (17 entries) | 39 | 39 | 39 | 117 | |
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Championships of the Confederation of African Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Senior |  | |
| U20 | ||
| Youth | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Regional | ||