Case Study of a Megacity (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

Significance of Site

• 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

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

Megacity Structure

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

• 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

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

Population Growth

• 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

• 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

Impact of Population Growth

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

• 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

Opportunities for People

• 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

Challenges for People

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

Pattern of Residential Areas

• 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

Government Led Sustainability

• 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

Community & NGO Sustainability

• 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