Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 25, 2015. Agbodemu Ishola, a local politician and activist, meets with members of the Makoko neighborhood to discuss community issues and the upcoming election.Kathleen Caulderwood
As the commercial capital of the biggest economy in Africa, Lagos has become a symbol of Nigeria’s oil-fueled advancement in recent years. But as its gross domestic product increased, other statistics, such as youth unemployment, and poverty around the country stayed flat.
The city has become a microcosm of the complex nature of Nigeria. On Victoria Island, high-ranking politicians and businessmen mix and mingle at swanky parties and stay in hotels that cost more than they would in the heart of Manhattan. But just over the bridges, on the mainland, Lagos continues on as it always has. Though now home to an emerging startup community, many are still living below the poverty line and waiting to see what a decade of economic development will do for them.
More photos of Lagos and the floating slum village of Makoko can be viewed here.
Youth unemployment has stayed flat at about 14 percent in recent years despite recent economic growth.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 24, 2015. A woman stands beside traffic on a main highway in Lagos.Kathleen Caulderwood
A co-founder of the online startup delivery service called Waracake works at his laptop in Lagos.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb 25, 2015. A stuffed bear has been attached to a broken vehicle near a busy street in Lagos.Kathleen Caulderwood
Writing in Lagos.Kathleen Caulderwood
An advertisement for jobs in the online sector is plastered on a wall in Lagos.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 26, 2015. The floating slum of Makoko is a low-income coastal community in Lagos. The vast majority of its residents are fishermen.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 26, 2015. A boy poses for a photo while steering his canoe in the floating village of Makoko.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 26, 2015. The floating village of Makoko sits just beside a highway overpass in Lagos.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 26, 2015. Many houses in the floating village of Makoko are surrounded by water. Locals use canoes to get around.Kathleen Caulderwood
Social Media Week in Lagos, Nigeria.Kathleen Caulderwood
Lagos, Nigeria. Feb. 26, 2015. A resident of the Makoko floating villages uses a canoe to navigate the area’s passageways.Kathleen Caulderwood
