Mali claimed its first CAF U-20 title after beating Senegal 3-2 on penalties to win the tournament held in Niger.
The Malians held their nerve in a dramatic shootout to hand Senegal their third successive defeat in the final.
Mamodou Traore opened the scoring for Mali in the 16th minute before Amadou Ndiaye levelled for Senegal in the 75th.
The match finished 1-1 after extra time and in the resultant penalty shootout Senegal missed two kicks while Mali converted three consecutive penalties through Boubacar Traore, Lassana Ndiaye and Abdoulaye Diaby.
In the third place match South Africa beat Nigeria 5-3 on penalties after their game finished 0-0 after extra time.
Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Nigeria will now represent the continent at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be hosted by Poland.