Lagos, Africa’s magnetic financial hub, is reaching a breaking point as a severe housing shortage of 3.4 million units drives rents to astronomical heights. As a result, residents face exhausting daily trade-offs between affordability and quality of life. For many professionals, these trade-offs take the form of four-hour commutes from neighboring towns, where rent is more affordable. Meanwhile, developers are prioritizing lucrative luxury high-rises and short-term rentals over affordable homes. This structural imbalance, paired with construction costs that far outpace stagnant wages, is forcing even middle-class workers into informal sharing arrangements or extreme commutes. As the “city that never sleeps” becomes increasingly unaffordable, many residents fear that the very dynamism that drew them to Lagos is now pushing them away.
The Guardian
