In a community known as Africa's venice, thousands of residents are facing evictions

NPR | By Emmanuel Akinwotu

Published March 20, 2026 at 4:12 PM EDT

Often called Africa's Venice, Makoko is a sprawling stilt community on the Lagos waterfront. But like many of the city's waterfront neighborhoods, it faces mass evictions in the name of development.

Emmanuel Akinwotu

Emmanuel Akinwotu is an international correspondent for NPR. He joined NPR in 2022 from The Guardian, where he was West Africa correspondent.

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