Informal workers in Lagos are left to cope with devastating floods alone: why things must change
The Conversation | 14.05.2026 21:14
There have been four major floods in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, over the past 14 years. The floodwaters swamp the open-air markets of Oshodi, one of the city’s largest informal trading centres, and rise through the stilted walkways of Makoko, a waterfront community of about 100,000 people built over the Lagos Lagoon. This disrupts the livelihoods of thousands of market traders, street vendors, waste recyclers and artisans.
