Case Study of a Megacity (Edexcel GCSE Geography: B (1GB0))

• Lagos is the former capital of Nigeria (Abuja is now the capital)
• It has a population of almost 16 million (2022)

Site and situation

• Lagos Lagoon limits growth to the east
• City has spread outwards to the north and west
• Next to the Bight of Benin on the Atlantic Ocean coast which gives excellent access to trade routes
• Nigeria has borders with Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon
• Near to large oil reserves 
• A flat expanse of land

Map of Lagos

Regional importance

• Largest city in the region
• Hospitals, schools, ten universities
• Arts and culture - centre of film industry 'Nollywood'
• Transport hub, roads, rail, air and sea ports

National importance

• Former capital city
• Lagos has the fourth highest GDP in the whole of the African continent
• Many transnational corporations 
• Finance centre on Lagos Island with the headquarters of companies such as Shell Nigeria
• New business hub on Eko Atlantic created from reclaimed land
• Industrial areas such as Ikeja

International importance

• Oil wealth means it is an important world economy 
• Tin Can Island is now the site of the second largest port in Nigeria connecting Nigeria to the rest of the world
• Lekki Deep Sea Port which is still under construction will be the largest seaport in Nigeria and part of the Lagos Free Zone
• Lagos has the largest airport in Nigeria which is connected to the port and CBD by a major road network
• Investment in digital infrastructure means it is the digital centre of West Africa

• The structure of Lagos is not exactly the same as the model of a developing city in Sub-Saharan Africa

Model of land use in a Sub-Saharan African city

• Due to the location of the CBD on an island the spread of the city has been mainly to the north and west on the mainland
• The main industrial areas are along the major transport routes
• Informal settlements are closest to the industrial areas
  • Over 60% of the population live in these informal settlements

Location of informal settlements and industry in Lagos

• Wealthy residential areas on are on Lagos Island, Victoria Island and to the east of these areas in Lekki

• The population of Lagos has grown rapidly since the 1950s
  • In 1952 the population was approximately 325,000 people
  • In 2022 the population reached over 15 million people

Population of Lagos

• The population is growing by about 3,000 a day or 1.1 million a year
• The population growth rate is over 3% per year
• Population growth is the result of both natural increase and migration

Natural increase

• There are significantly more births than deaths in Lagos - the number of births is lower than the average in Nigeria but is still more than the number of deaths
  • The crude birth rate for Nigeria is about 36 per 1000
  • The death rate is about 11 per 1000
• More than 50% of the population of Lagos are under 25 this will lead to further natural increase

International migration

• Migration from neighbouring countries such as Chad and Niger
• Some migration from USA and China mainly related to the oil industry

National migration

• National migration dominates with rural - urban migration contributing most to the population increase in Lagos

Causes of population growth

Causes of population growth in Lagos

Pattern of spatial growth

• Both the population and area of Lagos have grown
• Lagos began as a fishing village
• Lagos Lagoon provided a sheltered area for shipping leading to the port development

Growth of Lagos

• Lagos has expanded in a number of stages
• Growth restricted by waterways and marshes
• Suburbs have spread along the main transport routes

Changing land use in Lagos

• Investment in Lagos is increasing with the development of new residential and business areas such as Eko Atlantic
• Excellent transport links in the past led to industrial development
  • The infrastructure is now struggling to keep up due to the rate of growth
  • Some industries are choosing to locate outside Lagos due to traffic, living costs and increased taxes

• Lagos attracts 600,000 new residents annually all seeking a better way of life
• There are 6,300 millionaires that live in Lagos, 330 have a fortune of more than $10 million, 20 are worth more than $100 million – and there are 4 billionaires

Education

• • 68% of the population of Lagos has secondary education
  • In rural areas 40% of children don’t attend primary school 
  • There are more schools and universities in Lagos than in the rural areas, which attracts migrants with families to the city

  • With education residents are more likely to find work in Lagos in one of its growing industries like finance, film or fashion 

Health care

• • Above average healthcare, and whilst healthcare in Lagos is not free, it is available unlike many rural areas 
  • Life expectancy is 53 years
  • Charities have set up floating healthcare centres on the lagoon in the slums of Makoko and provide primary care, reproductive and maternity care for free 

Economic

• • 80% of Nigerian industry is in Lagos
  • Main export is oil
  • Growing fashion, and film industry (Nollywood)
  • The CBD and the Eko Atlantic development provide high skilled jobs 
  • Industrial areas such as Ikeja, provide low skilled work and in the large container port on Tin Can Island

Access to resources, water and energy

• • There are 2 power stations - one hydro-electric and one gas-fired
  • Wealthy houses and businesses have back-up generators in case of mains failure
  • Just 14% of the population of Lagos have a piped and treated water supply to their homes 

  • Rest use public taps, boreholes or buy from vendors

Housing

• • Rapid urbanisation has led to large informal or squatter settlements being built such as Makoko and Ajegunle
  • 75% of families live in just one room, meaning people live in cramped conditions which can spread disease
  • They all have limited access to fresh water, electricity, sewage and education
  • 55% of people use pit latrine toilets; allowing sewage to seep directly into the ground, which can pollute drinking water 
  • Houses are poorly built and prone to flooding

Supplies of water and sanitation

• • Drinking water in Lagos often contains bacteria or chemical pollutants that lead to diarrhoea
  • Only 14% of people in Lagos have piped water, many dig their own boreholes/wells, or are forced to buy from water vendors
  • Water from vendors can be contaminated if they also obtain water from contaminated sources
  • Poor wastewater treatment has led to increases in cholera and dysentery 
  • There is a lack of a proper sewerage system in the city, with sewage being disposed of in open drains which flow into the rivers and lagoon

Energy supplies

• • Street lighting is limited posing a danger to people from passing traffic or violent attacks particularly on women
  • Many people rely on wood or paraffin to cook with, adding to air pollution and health risks
  • Lagos has frequent blackouts, with many wealthy people and businesses relying on generators for their electricity
  • Electricity cables are hi-jacked by a number of people and presents a danger of overloading and fires

Congestion and pollution

• • Squatter settlements are overcrowded with narrow streets and little to no street lighting
  • Air pollution rates are 5 times higher in Lagos than the international recommended limit
  • Industrial areas such as Ikeja have poor air and water pollution controls
  • Commuters can spend up to 3 hours a day in traffic – increasing levels of air pollution in the city
  • Air pollution lowers life expectancy, especially for people with respiratory diseases such as asthma
  • Lagos is the largest producer of solid waste in Nigeria
  • It is estimated that 500 ‘rag pickers’ work at the Olusosun landfill, picking through an estimated 13,000 tonnes of waste a day

Employment

• • Unemployment is low at under 5%, but there are no unemployment benefits
  • Many slum residents are forced to work in the informal economic sector, such as street vending, car washing or waste recycling
  • These jobs are often dangerous, poorly paid and unregulated
  • Lagos has high crime levels especially in drug trafficking and gangs
    • The organized gangs of street teenagers and adult males are called the 'Area Boys' or 'agbero' who roam the streets and control slums
    • They extort money from passers-by, traders, motorists and passengers, pickpockets, and sell drugs

Health and education

• • Inward migration limits the availability of schools and hospitals
  • Healthcare is not free
  • Limited number of doctors and nurses and pay is poor
  • Lack of motivation for teachers due to poor behaviour of students
  • Poor school conditions and high dropout rates as the cost of exams is expensive

• Significant inequalities exist between the wealthy and the poor
• There are wealthy areas such as Victoria Island with gated communities, but also some of the biggest squatter settlements such as Makoko, home to around 250,000 people
• Most of the residents living in squatter settlements earn as little as $1.50 a day
  • Over 60% are employed in the informal economy which means no minimum wage

• A top down strategy is when the government (local or national) or businesses intervene to try and improve an area
• These are seen at both large and small scales and involve individual or multiple organisations (global players such as Trans National Corporations (TNCs), IGOs (International Governmental Organisations) and governments 
• They can be an economic or holistic approach but both have advantages and disadvantages and aim to have a multiplier effect
• Top down strategies are aimed more at an economic level and include large projects which hope to improve incomes for people through developing industry
• A high level of technical support is usually needed with funding from foreign loans and IGOs such as the IMF and World Bank
• Examples in Lagos include:
  • Lagos Light Rail and Lagos Rail Mass Transit 
  • Eko Atlantic - new area of commerce built on reclaimed land
  • Lagos Home Ownership and Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS)
  • Cleaner Lagos Initiative

• Bottom-up strategies are aimed at social development with smaller community projects that are aimed at improving health, education and or food supplies at a local level
• Examples in Lagos include:
  • Wecyclers - tackling the issue of waste
  • Makoko Sustainable Regeneration Plan