| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 August – 25 February 1978 |
| Teams | 11 (from 1 confederation) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Algeria (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Guinea |
| Third place |  Nigeria |
| Fourth place |  Ethiopia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 10 |
| Goals scored | 24 (2.4 per match) |
The 1979 African Youth Championship was the second edition of the biennial qualification tournament for the FIFA World Youth Championship for African nations and the inaugural edition under the African Youth Championship title.
Algeria and Guinea qualified for the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship in Japan by reaching the final, although the former won their inaugural title via the away goals rule against the latter with the match ending 4–4 on aggregate.