Nigeria: Challenges of Lagos As a Mega-City

Asia and Africa have large populations and prospects for huge urban growth. In 2005, Asia had an urbanisation level of 40 percent and Africa 38 percent. In spite of political opposition to urbanisation in many countries, rates of urban growth are expected to remain relatively high over the next 25 years, with marked increases in the urban population of both continents and of the world. In 1950, 14.7 percent of Africa’s inhabitants were urban, in 2000 it was 37.2% and by 2015 it is expected to rise to 45.3 percent.

UN studies indicated that by 2005, half of the world’s population lived in urban areas, a huge jump from the 30 percent living in urban areas in 1950. Some 3.2 billion of the world’s 6.5 billion people live in cities today, and the number will increase to 5 billion- an estimated 61 percent of the global population by 2030 (UN Commission on Population and Development). In the cities, where most resources will be consumed, and most pollution and waste will be produced, nearly all of the expected increase in the world’s population will occur in developing countries. Current patterns of urban development and human activity have led to environmental degradation, and have created a threat to continued human existence, and to the sustainability of life on earth. It is possible to make the cities more liveable through effective planning (Implementation and Monitoring of planning projects and policies) and community action.

Human settlements in developing countries carry a great burden from rapid, unplanned development. Communities face the problems of inadequate funding for basic infrastructure; rapid rate of population growth and relocation, and its consequent slums, urban sprawl, depletion and intensive exploitation of natural resources.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation with a current population of 150 million persons.

Nigerian cities such as Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Enugu, Port-Harcourt, Kaduna and Calabar grow mainly through rural-urban migration. This urbanisation process has outpaced the existing urban management system. 1996 World Bank reports on Nigeria indicated that the growth rate of urban areas has increased from 20 percent in 1970 to 33 percent in 1993. It is also projected that by the year 2025, 75 percent of Nigeria’s population of about 245 million persons is expected to live in towns and cities.

Source:
Nigeria: Challenges of Lagos As a Mega-City
allafrica.com