Posted on July 6, 2026
By Ana Alice
Project in Lagos transforms a stretch of the Atlantic into a new urban area, combining land reclamation, planned infrastructure, and coastal defense in one of the regions most pressured by erosion in Nigeria.
Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria and one of Africa’s main economic centers, has been advancing for years with the development of Eko Atlantic, a planned city on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, next to Victoria Island.
The project had already received more than 75 million m³ of sand by June 2023, according to the consultancy Haskoning, responsible for maritime studies and projects, and was created to combine urban expansion, infrastructure, and coastal protection in a region affected by erosion and population growth.
The initiative is not a newly announced work.
The project began to be structured in the 2000s and is still under development.
The official website of Eko Atlantic states that phases 1 and 2 already have active infrastructure, including completed bridges, operational water and sewage systems, and expansion to new stages.
Rugby School Nigeria also reported that it welcomed its first class in September 2025 on the campus located within the planned city.
Eko Atlantic creates solid ground where there was once sea
Eko Atlantic was planned as an extension of Victoria Island, one of the most important areas of Lagos for business, services, and real estate ventures.
The proposal involves dredging sand from the seabed, depositing it in a designated area, and creating a new portion of solid ground capable of accommodating streets, buildings, power networks, drainage, water, sewage, telecommunications, and areas for residential and commercial use.
When completed, the city is expected to occupy about 10 million m² of reclaimed land, a size compared by Haskoning to the skyscraper district of Manhattan, in New York.
The project is developed by South Energyx Nigeria Limited, in strategic partnership with the Lagos state government, and receives support from the federal government of Nigeria, according to the official website of the venture.
The scale of the project is directly linked to the complexity of the work.
The construction is not limited to the implementation of buildings near the coast but involves creating an urban base in an area previously occupied by the sea.
The technical plan foresees 95 million m³ of sand to form the foundation of the new city.
By June 2023, two-thirds of the area had been reclaimed, with more than 6.5 million m² already formed, according to Haskoning.
