The 2016 Africa Cup Division 1A was decided on a round-robin format.

[2] Teams from Mauritius, Morocco and Nigeria played in a round robin format.

Cameroon was originally scheduled to compete, but withdrew due to internal problems with the union[3] This division also doubles as the first qualification phase for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

[4] In the West region, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo played in a rugby sevens tournament in Lomé, Togo on 27 May 2016.

Lesotho were originally scheduled to play in the semi-finals against DR Congo, but travel delays caused them to miss the first round, forfeiting the match.