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African Time Zones

Africa spans 5 main time zones from UTC+0 (West Africa) to UTC+3 (East Africa). Unlike most world regions, Africa almost entirely forgoes daylight saving time — only Morocco adjusts its clocks seasonally, and even then on an irregular schedule tied to Ramadan.

Time Zones in Africa

West Africa Time (WAT)

UTC+1No DST

No DST

Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, DRC (west), Republic of Congo

LagosAbujaDoualaKinshasa

Central Africa Time (CAT)

UTC+2No DST

No DST

DRC (east), Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda

LusakaHarareBujumburaKigali

East Africa Time (EAT)

UTC+3No DST

No DST

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea

NairobiDar es SalaamKampalaAddis Ababa

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

UTC+0No DST

No DST (Morocco shifts to UTC+1 in summer)

Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Gambia, Morocco (winter), Liberia

AccraAbidjanDakarCasablanca

South Africa Standard Time (SAST)

UTC+2No DST

No DST

South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland

JohannesburgCape TownPretoriaWindhoek

Does Africa Use Daylight Saving Time?

Africa is the world's most DST-free continent. Nearly all 54 African nations use a fixed UTC offset year-round, which simplifies scheduling across the continent's 3 billion+ annual business interactions.

Morocco is the notable exception, observing Western European Summer Time (UTC+1) from late March to late October — but it suspends DST during Ramadan (reverting to UTC+0) regardless of the calendar date, making its offset unpredictable without checking current rules.

Egypt previously observed DST but permanently abolished it in 2011. South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and all other major African economies operate on fixed offsets, making Africa more predictable for international scheduling than Europe or the Americas.

Cities in Africa

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Africa observe daylight saving time?
Almost no African country observes daylight saving time. Morocco is the main exception — it shifts from UTC+0 to UTC+1 (Western European Summer Time) during Ramadan and the summer months, but the schedule varies year to year.
What time zone is Nigeria in?
Nigeria uses West Africa Time (WAT), which is UTC+1 year-round with no daylight saving time. Lagos and Abuja both operate on WAT.
What time zone is Kenya in?
Kenya is in East Africa Time (EAT), UTC+3, with no daylight saving time. This means Kenya is 3 hours ahead of London (4 hours behind during BST) and 8 hours ahead of New York.
Why does Egypt have a different time zone from the rest of North Africa?
Egypt uses Eastern European Time (EET, UTC+2) and has historically observed daylight saving time (suspended since 2011). Most other North African countries use UTC+0 or UTC+1, making Egypt 1–2 hours ahead of its regional neighbours.