This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of fair-weather atmospheric electric field variations in West Africa, based on 30 months of continuous measurements at Lokoja, Nigeria (7 \(^\circ \) 49’N, 6 \(^\circ \) 44’E). The atmospheric electric field exhibited an exceptional coupling with aerosol loading, following a power law relationship \(E_z = 2150 \times V^{-0.62}\) with visibility, achieving an unprecedented correlation coefficient of \(r = -0.89\) . The diurnal patterns showed a characteristic double peak structure with morning (08:30 LT) and evening (19:45 LT) maxima, significantly deviating from the Carnegie curve ( \(r = -0.42\) ) due to the dominant local aerosol influences. Seasonal analysis revealed a pronounced modulation by Harmattan dust transport, with diurnal amplitude factors varying from 3.4 during the dry season to 1.8 during the wet season. Fine particles ( \(<2.5~\mu \) m) demonstrated the strongest correlation with the enhancement of the electric field ( \(r = 0.84\) ), while anthropogenic contributions remained secondary (2.8% of total variance). Fair weather criteria required adaptation for dust-affected environments, establishing a 4000 m visibility threshold that retained 46.2% of measurement days. The study establishes baseline atmospheric electricity characteristics for the West African Sahel and demonstrates the critical importance of natural aerosol processes in regional atmospheric electrical climatology, with implications for the modeling of global electric circuits in dust-affected continental regions.
