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Time Zone Converter

Convert between African and world time zones. Live clocks and meeting planner to find the best overlap for calls across continents.

African Cities Live Clocks Meeting Planner
Convert Time
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Live World Clocks
Meeting Planner — Find Overlap

Green = working hours (9am-6pm). Red = sleeping hours (11pm-6am). White = free time.

African Time Zones Explained

Africa spans four major time zones, from UTC+0 (West Africa's GMT) to UTC+3 (East Africa Time). Understanding these time zones is essential for business across the continent. Unlike many European and American countries, most African nations do not observe daylight saving time, which simplifies scheduling but means the offset relative to DST-observing countries changes throughout the year.

Time Zones by Region

Scheduling Across Africa and Beyond

Africa's relationship with major business centres means scheduling can be tricky. Lagos is 1 hour ahead of London (during GMT), 6 hours ahead of New York, and 7 hours behind Beijing. Nairobi is 3 hours ahead of London, 8 hours ahead of New York. Our meeting planner visualises working hour overlaps so you can find the ideal time for calls spanning multiple continents.

A common challenge is scheduling between West Africa and the US West Coast (9-hour difference) or between East Africa and East Asia. In these cases, early morning or late afternoon slots often provide the only reasonable overlap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does any African country observe daylight saving time?
Very few. Morocco observes DST (switching between UTC+0 and UTC+1), and some years Egypt has implemented it briefly. The vast majority of African countries do not observe DST, keeping their clocks constant year-round.
What is "Africa time" and how do I schedule around it?
While the stereotype of "African time" suggests flexible scheduling, professional environments across Africa increasingly adhere to strict timing. For important meetings, use calendar invites with explicit time zone references (e.g., "3pm WAT / 2pm GMT") to avoid confusion.
Why does Nigeria use WAT instead of GMT?
Nigeria adopted West Africa Time (WAT, UTC+1) because it better aligns with the country's geographic longitude. Ghana, which is at a similar longitude, uses GMT (UTC+0) due to historical British colonial influence.