Makoko is one of Africa’s most unique inner-city slums, with a third of the community built on stilts in a lagoon off the Lagos mainland. Transport is by canoe. The rest of the settlement is on swampy land with little sanitation and few public services. Makoko is estimated to be home to 300,000 people, but both government and residents claim the figure is higher. The numbers are hazy because the area appears as a near-blank space on maps—with little information about structures, density, or streets. This means it is almost impossible to properly track land ownership, plan infrastructure, optimize services, plan for emergencies, or support development. Being a blank spot on the map means authorities never adequately allocate resources to Makoko, or—worse—exploit the lack of awareness to grab the land and displace dwellers. This reporting explores a bottom-up mapping project that helped the community fight for their land rights. The project combines data, satellite images, on-the-ground multimedia journalism, and long-form storytelling.
Neglected and Unmapped
Efforts to map Makoko, Nigeria assert the presence of the community's residents, streets, and schools after a long history of evictions.
Mapping Makoko: How Data Could Help Legitimize Nigeria's Informal Settlements
On the digital maps available, these Lagos waterfront communities do not exist in their true form, making human activity difficult to estimate.
How Makoko, Nigeria's Floating Slum Went Digital With New Mapping Project
The slum which was initially just a place to fish has grown to be the home for generations of fishermen from neighboring countries.
The Last French Speakers in Lagos
Ajongun and his family are among a tiny community of French speakers living and working in the heart of Lagos. They are some of the last French-speaking community members in the city.
Behind the Story: Jacopo Ottaviani, John Eromosele on ‘Mapping Makoko’
The Pulitzer Center-supported "Mapping Makoko" combines technology, data visualization, and multimedia journalism in an effort to put one of Africa's most unique slums on the map.
'Mapping Makoko' Project Shortlisted for Sigma Award
Mapping Makoko was announced as a shortlist candidate for the 2020 Sigma Award for Open Data.