Eye on Urbanisation: Nigeria

The document examines the rapid rate of urbanisation across Africa, highlighting that while urban growth can drive economic diversification, unplanned growth in developing economies often leads to slums and infrastructure stress. It focuses on Nigeria, where rapid urban population growth has outpaced planning, resulting in high slum residency and significant shortages in housing, water, and sanitation. The briefing notes that Nigeria's inability to manage this growth and integrate its large informal economy limits national economic contributions and increases the risk of political and social instability.

• Africa's cities are urbanising rapidly, with the urban population reaching 40% in 2012 compared to 19% in 1960, though the total urban population is not expected to exceed the rural population until nearly 2050.
• Lagos, Nigeria, is Africa's second fastest growing city with an annual growth rate of 4.44% and an estimated population of 10 million; it is projected to reach 15 million by 2030 and become the continent's largest city, surpassing Cairo.
• Nigeria's urban population grew from 3.2 million (10.6%) in 1953 to 70 million (50%) in 2007, but this growth has not been matched by adequate planning, leading to 70% of urban dwellers living in slums.
• Critical infrastructure deficits in Nigeria include a housing shortage affecting 14 to 16 million people, and a lack of access to safe drinking water for approximately 46% of the population and adequate sanitation for 47%.
• Nigeria's urbanisation rate is 5.5% per annum, and the failure to plan for an informal economy that constitutes 60-70% of the system has negatively impacted city landscapes and limited contributions to the national economy.

APA

Selebalo, H., & McLennan, P. (n.d.). Eye on Urbanisation: Nigeria. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/eye-on-urbanisation-nigeria

Chicago

Selebalo, Hopolang, and Patrick McLennan. Eye on Urbanisation: Nigeria. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/eye-on-urbanisation-nigeria.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Selebalo |first1=Hopolang |last2=McLennan |first2=Patrick |title=Eye on Urbanisation: Nigeria |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/eye-on-urbanisation-nigeria |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{selebalondeye, author = {Selebalo, Hopolang and McLennan, Patrick}, title = {{Eye on Urbanisation: Nigeria}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/eye-on-urbanisation-nigeria}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }