The Ivory Coast athlete, famed for his last second Rio 2016 gold medal win against Britain's Lutalo Muhammad, had to settle for silver at the Inbiaat Sports Hall after losing to Senegal's Ababacar Sadikh Soumare in his under-80 kilograms class.

Cisse, who won two Grand Prix events last season and then the Final on home soil in Abidjan, was hoping to win a third African title.

Bronze medals went to Morocco's Bibis Hamza and Djibo Sani Yahaya of Niger.

There was better luck for the Ivory Coast elsewhere, however, as world champion Ruth Gbagbi was among the gold medallists.

She won world gold in Muju in South Korea last year in the under-62kg division.

Competing today at under-67kg, the weight category she won Olympic bronze in at Rio 2016, she proved too strong for the rest of the field.

Gbagbi beat Maisoun Farouk of Egypt in the final with Cape Verde's Ingride Santos Carvalho and home Moroccan entrant Wafae El Atri sharing the bronze medals.

The home fans had two titles to celebrate as both Nada Laaraj and Wiam Dislam struck gold.

Laaraj clinched the women's under-57kg crown with a final win over Niger's Tekiath Ben Yessouf as Ivory Coast's Banassa Diomande and Senegal's Bineta Diedhiou shared bronze.

Dislam won the women's over-73kg category, defeating Mena Maher of Egypt in the final.

Epiphanie Madjissem of Chad and Aminata Charlene Traore of Ivory Coast both won bronze.

Egypt were another country to win two gold medals as Nour Abdelsalam and Abdelrahman Wael topped the podium.

The former sealed women's under-49kg success against Tunisia's Ikram Dhahri.

Cape Verde and Morocco shared bronze thanks to Maria Andrade and Douah Khadija respectively.

Wael won the men's under-68kg title as he ousted Niger's Ismael Yacouba in the final.

Bronze medals went to Morocco's Ibrahim Bourkia and Olusola Olowookere of Nigeria.

Other gold medals were won by Tunisia and Gabon.

Tunisian Hedi Neffati saw off Egyptian Mohamed Farag to earn the men's under-58kg gold.

Yousef Shriha won bronze for Libya alongside Morocco's Omar Lakehal.

The Gabonese gold came courtesy of Anthony Obame in the men's over-87kg division.

He beat Ayoub Bassel of Morocco in the final.

Niger's Abdoul Razak Issoufou, the world champion in this class and an Olympic silver medallist at 80kg, had to make do with one of the bronzes alongside Firmin Zokou of Ivory Coast.

Competition continues tomorrow.