Africa's time zones at a glance
Mainland Africa uses four time zones, from UTC+0 in the west to UTC+3 in the east. Most countries keep the same time all year.
| UTC offset | Examples |
|---|---|
| UTC+0 | Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Mauritania, Morocco |
| UTC+1 | Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Benin, Chad, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Angola, western DR Congo (Kinshasa), Algeria, Tunisia |
| UTC+2 | South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern DR Congo (Lubumbashi), Lesotho, Eswatini, Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, Egypt (UTC+3 in summer) |
| UTC+3 | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Comoros |
| Islands | Mauritius and Seychelles UTC+4, Cape Verde UTC-1 |
These offsets come from the IANA time zone database, the reference that phones and computers use.
The clock changes that move your overlap
Europe and the US change their clocks twice a year, on different dates. That shifts your overlap even though your own clock stays put.
- UK: GMT (UTC+0) in winter, British Summer Time (UTC+1) in summer. In 2026 the clocks went forward on 29 March and back on 25 October. In 2027 the dates are 28 March and 31 October.
- EU: summer time runs from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. Central European Time is UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer.
- US: daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. In 2026 the dates are 8 March and 1 November. Eastern Time is UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer. Pacific Time is UTC-8 and UTC-7.
Because the US and Europe switch on different weekends, the gap between them is one hour shorter than usual for about three weeks in March and one week around the start of November. Double-check meeting times in March and from late October to early November.
Two African points to know: Egypt moves to UTC+3 from the last Friday of April to the last Thursday of October. Morocco moved to UTC+0 all year on 20 September 2026, so it no longer changes its clocks for Ramadan or summer.
Working with the UK and Central Europe
This table shows a 09:00-17:00 working day in London and Berlin, converted to local time in five African cities.
| Your city | London winter | London summer | Berlin winter | Berlin summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accra (UTC+0) | 09:00-17:00 | 08:00-16:00 | 08:00-16:00 | 07:00-15:00 |
| Lagos (UTC+1) | 10:00-18:00 | 09:00-17:00 | 09:00-17:00 | 08:00-16:00 |
| Johannesburg (UTC+2) | 11:00-19:00 | 10:00-18:00 | 10:00-18:00 | 09:00-17:00 |
| Cairo (UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer) | 11:00-19:00 | 11:00-19:00 | 10:00-18:00 | 10:00-18:00 |
| Nairobi (UTC+3) | 12:00-20:00 | 11:00-19:00 | 11:00-19:00 | 10:00-18:00 |
Egypt's summer starts about a month after Europe's, so from late March to late April Cairo is one hour earlier than the summer column shows.
The takeaway: from almost anywhere in Africa you can share a full or nearly full working day with Europe. That's a strong selling point for EMEA roles. See our guide to EMEA remote jobs from Africa.
Working with the US
The same 09:00-17:00 day in New York (Eastern Time) and San Francisco (Pacific Time):
| Your city | New York winter | New York summer | San Francisco winter | San Francisco summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accra (UTC+0) | 14:00-22:00 | 13:00-21:00 | 17:00-01:00 | 16:00-00:00 |
| Lagos (UTC+1) | 15:00-23:00 | 14:00-22:00 | 18:00-02:00 | 17:00-01:00 |
| Johannesburg (UTC+2) | 16:00-00:00 | 15:00-23:00 | 19:00-03:00 | 18:00-02:00 |
| Cairo (UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer) | 16:00-00:00 | 16:00-00:00 | 19:00-03:00 | 19:00-03:00 |
| Nairobi (UTC+3) | 17:00-01:00 | 16:00-00:00 | 20:00-04:00 | 19:00-03:00 |
Chicago (Central Time) is one hour behind New York, so its working day lands one hour later in your local time.
The takeaway: US East Coast roles are workable from West Africa with an afternoon-to-evening shift, and from East Africa if you can work into the night or overlap only for part of their day. US West Coast roles fall mostly at night across Africa. If you want them, look for teams that work async or only need a short overlap, such as their early morning.
How much overlap do you need?
Job ads that mention time zones often ask for a few hours of overlap, not a full shared day. Phrases like "at least four hours of overlap with CET" or "available until 13:00 ET" are common. Here's how to judge an offer:
A worked example: you live in Johannesburg and like to work 08:00-17:00. A London team in winter works 11:00-19:00 your time, so you share six hours, from 11:00 to 17:00. A New York team in winter starts at 16:00 your time, so you'd share one hour unless you move your day later. Do this sum for every role before you apply.
- Four hours or more of shared time is usually enough for meetings and quick questions. You can do focused work in your own hours.
- Customer support and sales roles often need you online for the customer's whole day. That can mean a fixed evening or night shift. Ask about shift rotation and weekends before you accept. See our guide to remote customer support jobs.
- Split days can work: a few hours in the morning for focused work, a break, then the overlap window in the afternoon or evening. Protect your sleep. A schedule you can't keep for a year isn't a good deal.
Write your hours so employers trust them
- Use UTC offsets. "Lagos, UTC+1, no daylight saving" is clear anywhere. Names like WAT, CAT or EAT aren't widely known abroad.
- Translate your hours for them. "Available 10:00-19:00 local, which is 09:00-18:00 London time in winter."
- Add a second time zone to your calendar. Many calendar apps let you show your employer's zone next to yours.
- Confirm meetings with both times, especially in March, late October and early November.
Put your offset and hours at the top of your CV, as shown in our guide to a remote CV for African applicants. Then browse remote jobs open to Africa with a clear idea of which hours you can really keep.
