(a) Outline any four factors that have encouraged the concentration of industries in the Lagos area (b) Highlight the significance of the concentration to t...

Answer Details

(a) Four factors that have encouraged the concentration of industries in the Lagos area

• Large market and population: Lagos is the most populous urban area in Nigeria, providing a big ready market for manufactured goods.
• Good port facilities: the harbours at Apapa and Tin Can Island ease the import of raw materials and machinery and the export of finished goods.
• Good transport network: Lagos is the hub of roads, railway and an international airport, linking it to the rest of the country and the world.
• Availability of labour: a large pool of both skilled and unskilled workers is present because of heavy migration to the city.
• Availability of capital and services: banks, insurance and head offices concentrate there, providing finance and business services; electricity and water supply are also relatively better.

(b) Significance of the concentration to the inhabitants

• Provision of employment and steady income for many people.
• Availability of a wide range of manufactured goods to buy locally.
• Growth of allied businesses and services (transport, trading, repairs), spreading wealth.
• Improvement of infrastructure such as roads, power and water in the area.
• However it also brings overcrowding, pollution and high cost of living, which the inhabitants must cope with.