Lagos is located on the edge of a lagoon, and has always attracted a migrant population who have settled in shanty towns at the foot of the water, some of which are veritable lakeside cities. A world light years from the heart of business and commerce, i.e. the two small islands of Lagos and Victoria, where only the super-rich can afford to settle. As for the average resident, he or she usually has to make do with a flat inland, often at the cost of a two-hour daily commute in epic traffic. This explains why the bars are so vibrant with young professionals in their thirties who prefer to wait out the rush hour, and why the construction sector is booming.
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The population of Lagos is swollen first and foremost by internal migration, with the National Bureau of Statistics estimating that 260,000 people arrive in the city every day and that no more than 25 % leave to return to their place of origin. This phenomenon is amplified by a baby boom that is expected to lead to the population set to triple by 2050.
Having long developed along a north-south axis, the megalopolis is now stretching all along the coast, and even beyond, thanks to huge reclamation works on the sea. This vast project began after 2007, when the city authorities realised that the ocean was beginning to encroach on certain urban areas. Hence the start of gigantic artificial island projects based on the Dubai model. The first project for which dredging operations began in 2009, Eko Atlantic City will rise on an artificial island covering an area of 820 hectares along the Atlantic coast, opposite Victoria Island, where the coastline is suffering from severe erosion. With the crisis having severely depressed the property sector, only two of the five Eko Pearl towers are currently complete. However, demand is high, with almost all of the lots offering 24-hour security, tennis courts, a swimming pool and bedrooms for housekeeping staff already snapped up. Ultimately, the complex aims to accommodate 250,000 people and 150,000 in offices.
The island, which will also house a shopping centre, will form a protective barrier against the advancing ocean and will shield Lagos' main business district, Victoria Island. Eko is not Lagos' first experiment in this area, as there is already another artificial island, Banana Island, shaped like the eponymous fruit. A highly secure environment housing the homes of Nigeria's ultra-rich. At the same time, other projects are being developed at high speed on the artificial islands of Gracefield - a new residential complex with 10,000 flats - as well as on Apple Island, which covers 45 hectares and neighbours 150-hectare Orange Island.
To complement these property developments, Lagos also needs to renovate its infrastructure. The port area, which brings in 70 % of the country's customs revenue, is perpetually congested, a situation further exacerbated by the many building projects underway in the city. While the construction of a new port is not expected to begin before 2020. Lagos is looking for alternatives to free up the roads, in particular river transport. The region is considering acquiring ferries and building new piers.
In 2008, the city also began renovating its urban transport network to improve travel for residents, who had previously been totally dependent on fleets of informal taxis. In a second phase supported by the World Bank and Agence Française de Développement, this Bus Rapid Transit system was extended to a 13-kilometre corridor linking the satellite town of Ikorodu, using a fleet of 300 buses. The project also financed the renovation and widening of the road from four to six lanes, as well as the construction of pedestrian crossings, a bus depot and bus stations. Several districts of the megalopolis have gained in accessibility and safety since the extension was built.
At the same time, Lagos State launched work last summer on the renovation of the road leading to the city's international airport, Africa's eighth hub. Motorists will have three lanes in both directions, as well as two service and emergency lanes. This should considerably improve journey times to and from the city centre, some twenty kilometres from the airport. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria announced last year that, after a long delay due to the economic recession, a new terminal under construction would finally be brought into service.
