Urban Issues and Challenges - Case Study: Lagos Flashcards
Where is Lagos/Nigeria located?
- Nigeria is on the central west coast of Africa
- Nigeria is surrounded by Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon
- Lagos is a city on the south west coast of Nigeria by the Gulf of Guinea sea.
- Abuja is the capital of Nigeria
Why is Lagos important regionally?
- Lagos is a cultural hub - there are many opportunities in the fashion, music + art industries
- Lagos has many service facilities like schools, hospitals, leisure centres, universities
- Lagos has excellent transport facilities - it has a large port and international airport
Why is Lagos important nationally?
- 80% of imports and 70% of exports go through the docks so Lagos is really important in terms of trade
- Most of the industry - 80% is in Lagos, this is important as much of the wealth for Nigeria will be generated here - 30%
- The film industry ‘Nollywood’ is based in Lagos so a lot of wealth + jobs are created here
- A lot of TNC headquarters are in Lagos, this creates well paid jobs
Why is Lagos important internationally?
- Lagos hosts lots of international sporting events e.g. Olympic basketball qualifiers - this is important as it brings people from around the world to Lagos
- Lagos hosts trade fairs which attract businesses + wealth from around the world
- Lagos is the major centre of ICT in west Africa so there is much innovation + creativity happening there so they are generating expertise
What are the 7 social opportunities from Lagos?
- Education
- Better hospitals
- Access to clean water
- Better access to energy
- Opportunities in music, fashion + art
- More access to mobile technology
- Better transport
(only need top 3)
What are the education opportunities in Lagos?
+ a fact
Better schools + Universities in Lagos
Facts:
- University of Lagos (UniLag) produces 10,000 graduates a year
- Government provides free edu. for under 10s
- 68% children in Lagos have a secondary school edu. - higher in urban areas
What are the health opportunities in Lagos?
+ a fact
Better hospitals - so if you get ill, you are more likely to be able to access treatment
Fact:
There are major hospitals like the Lagos cardiac hospital
What are the water opportunities in Lagos?
+ a fact
Access to clean water (most of the population) - either piped to their homes from a bone pipe or from a water vender
Fact:
- Water master plan aims to meet rising water demand
- However 60% still don’t have access to clean water
What are the 4 economic opportunities from Lagos?
- Construction industry
- Better well paid jobs
- Most jobs in tertiary industry
- Trade
What are the construction industry opportunities in Lagos?
+ a fact
The construction industry is growing
Fact:
Lagos construction industry is worth US $69 billion annually - averaged 10% annual growth
What are the better well paid job opportunities in Lagos?
+ a fact
Better well paid jobs in TNC headquarters
Fact:
Lots of big TNCs have their headquarters in Lagos
What are the tertiary industry opportunities in Lagos?
+ a fact
Most jobs in tertiary industry - tend to be better paid
Fact:
78% of jobs in Lagos are in the tertiary industry - the rest of Nigeria only 55% of jobs in the tertiary industry
How does the growth of industry improve the economy?
- Infrastructure improves = need good roads, electricity + water for industry to grow = improves Q of L for residents + new industries move there = lots of jobs = workers get new skills
- lots of industries = creates international trade, opportunities + lots of jobs = people have more money = spend more money on goods + services = new businesses open and grow international trade creates international opportunities
What is the problem of slums in Lagos? (How many ppl live there and why?)
- 60% of people in Lagos live in slums
- One of the main reasons for this is because the population is growing so fast (3.5%/year) so the government can’t build enough houses
- The people who migrate to Lagos are ofter quite poor, so can’t afford housing
Where are squatter settlements found in Lagos?
and an example of one
- They are often found on land that people don’t want to build on
- Either because the land is unstable + marshy or because it floods (it is by the lagoon)
e.g. Makoko slum
What is life like in the Lagos slums?
- lots of overcrowding: this is a problem as diseases spread easily - 75% of people’s whole household lives in 1 room
- poor water supply: only 11% of people have piped water so water will be more expensive and diseases can spread quicker
- little to no household facilities: only 10% of people have a kitchen, bath and a toilet so disease will spread quicker + less employment opportunities if no bath
What are the challenges of water in Lagos?
- Only 10% of the population in Lagos have clean piped water
- The remaining 90% rely on water vendors or dig wells or boreholes to reach the groundwater
- water vendors are more expensive than piped water
- it takes time to go and get water
- water sitting around can have diseases in them
What are the challenges of sanitation in Lagos? (+some facts)
- There are many open sewers which causes diseases to easily spread
- girls also miss out on some education because they don’t have access to sanitary products so they can’t go to school
- Lagos produces 9,000 tons of waste a day
- less than 1% of households in Lagos are linked to any closed sewage systems
What are the challenges of energy in Lagos?
- Not only for poor people but also for rich people electricity isn’t very reliable
- there is poor energy infrastructure
- some people living in Lagos have to spend 70% of their budget on diesel for generators
What are the challenges of health in Lagos?
- Healthcare and vaccinations available but not always free
- investment in healthcare in Lagos is not really keeping up with populations growth
- the poorest people living in slums have the least/worst amount of healthcare
What are the challenges of education in Lagos?
- There is only free education up to the age of 9
- but not all parents can afford to send their children to school because they need their children to work
- a lot of the buildings are dilapidated, there is also truanting, unmotivated teachers and gangsterism
- only 10% of teachers are computer literate
What are the challenges of employment in Lagos?
- Many Nigerians are well educated but even they struggle to find good/high paying jobs
- a lot of Nigerians cannot afford to be unemployed - it’s just that there’s not enough jobs for the increasing population
- so over 2/3 of jobs are in the informal sector
What are the challenges of crime in Lagos?
- Crime rates are really high in Lagos
- Some crimes include kidnapping, drug dealing, theft and bribery
What are the challenges of traffic congestion in Lagos?
- Traffic is really bad in Lagos
- Lagos residents spent an average of 30 hours a week in traffic
- this means that people/children lose hours of sleep because they have to get up early to beat the traffic
- air pollution will also be bad in Lagos so their health would be worse
What are the challenges of waste disposal in Lagos?
- Only 40% of waste is collected so piles and piles of waste is on the street
- this means disease spreads, the environment is quite horrible and it smells really bad
What are the challenges of air pollution in Lagos?
- Air pollution is really bad in Lagos
- there is air and water pollution from cars, generators, electronics and waste
What is urban planning?
It is the process of developing + designing urban areas to meet the needs of a community
How has the Rapid bus system improved life for Lagos?
- there are separate lanes for buses
- 220,000 passengers use it daily so less car usage
- reduces time in traffic by 30% so days are shorter so more time at work/school
- less cars on the road so 13% less air pollution and noise pollution
- better health
- improved Q of L
- create 2,000 more jobs driving buses so reduces unemployment
How has the floating school improved life for Lagos?
- provides more school spaces for the growing population, 1 - 60 children
- the school rises with the sea so no need to rebuild for rising sea levels
- it collects rain water so quick access to fresh water
- solar panels create electricity = good for bad power supply usually in Lagos
- for growing population in need of jobs = a teacher long term and the construction short time
