WAT — West Africa Time

West Africa Time (WAT) is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time and is used by countries in western and central Africa, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's western regions. Lagos, Nigeria's largest city and one of the fastest-growing metropolises in the world, is the most prominent city in this time zone.

WAT shares the same UTC+1 offset as Central European Time, meaning that Lagos and Paris are on the same clock despite being separated by thousands of kilometers. This alignment is partly a legacy of French and British colonial administration, which imposed European time standards on African territories. Nigeria, with a population exceeding 200 million, is by far the most populous country using WAT and is the largest economy in Africa.

West Africa Time does not observe daylight saving time. The countries in this zone are located in tropical latitudes near the equator, where daylight hours remain relatively consistent throughout the year, making the seasonal clock adjustment unnecessary. Neighboring time zones include Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) to the west, used by Ghana and Senegal, and Central Africa Time (UTC+2) to the east.