URBANIZATION IN WEST AFRICA: THE CASE OF LAGOS

In recent years, the rate of urbanization has been increasing on the African continent, which has the least urbanization rate in the world. Especially, West Africa is the fastest urbanizing sub-region of the continent after East Africa. At this point, the countries and cities in this sub-region of the continent face a wide range of problems due to the increasing population and urbanization rate. In addition, there are significant differences in the patterns of urban development across Africa and in terms of how they are defined and interpreted. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the cities and urbanization movements in West Africa from the past to the present in the case of Lagos. The study is based on literature review. It consists of three parts. At first, the situation of the cities in West Africa is examined. Economic growth and development in the region and the status of infrastructure and services are examined. Secondly, the general condition in Nigeria was analyzed. Finally, Lagos, an important city in Nigeria, was selected and the urban development process and problems faced by the city were examined. Moreover, this is the first study to examine the city of Lagos from the past to the present in the urban science literature in Turkey