Africa’s Megacity of Lagos Reshapes its Coast by Dredging and Puts Environment at Risk

In Lagos, Nigeria, thousands of workers are dredging sand from the Lagos Lagoon to meet surging construction demand in Africa's largest city, fundamentally altering the waterway's ecosystem and economy. The sand extraction, performed both by licensed companies and informal operators who collect buckets by hand, has disrupted traditional fishing grounds by destroying spawning areas, increasing water turbidity, and driving fish away from affected zones. While dredgers earn modest incomes in a city with few employment opportunities, the fishing communities dependent on the lagoon—particularly in areas like Makoko—face collapsing livelihoods as catches diminish and fuel costs rise.