What’s the time in Morocco? Perhaps not what you think it is.

With Royal Air Maroc joining oneworld in April, a short break in Casablanca looked interesting.  Doing my research, I came across something I didn’t know.

In 2018, Morocco decided to stop using GMT as its ‘base’ time.  The time in Marrakech and Casablanca is not necessarily the time you would expect.

As you know, in the UK we operate on GMT time during the Winter but, between March and October, jump forward by one hour to BST, ie British Summer Time.

There is plenty of discussion about whether this is the right thing to do or not, and you may get a different answer in Northern Scotland to Southern England, but that is how it works.

At short notice, Morocco decided in 2018 that it was not going to return to GMT time during the Winter.  28th October came and the clocks remained where they were.  The time in Morocco is now permanently operating on GMT + 1.

This was not a totally random decision.

What is West Africa Time?

Most African countries operate something called West Africa Time.  This is also on GMT + 1.  It is a logical decision because – as these countries are nearer the equator – the amount of daylight each day does not vary much throughout the year.

Countries operating on West Africa Time include Algeria, Angolo, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, both Congos, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria and Tunisia.

The main hold-out is Namibia, which does operate Daylight Saving Time.

Morocco believed that there were important business and social benefits from matching its core African neighbours.   So now you know why Morocco time is not necessarily the time you were expecting.

You can find out more about Morocco’s move to British Summer Time on the BBC website here.

Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and free for a year Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

40,000 points sign-up bonus and a long list of travel benefits Read our full review

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending:

Barclaycard Select Cashback Credit Card

1% cashback and no annual fee Read our full review