Akure, the medium-sized capital of Ondo State in Southwest Nigeria, has seen its population increase by more than 54% in 13 years. Akure’s population growth is explained by two factors. Ondo State is a part of the Niger Delta, the oil-producing region of Nigeria. In 2006, Akure was classified as a Millennium Development City, as part of its commitment to the eight development goals UN member states agreed to achieve by 2015.
Akure’s population was 360,268 in 2006, according to that year’s National Population and Housing Census. Using a yearly percentage increase of 3.2%, the population of the city in 2019 would be 559,940 people.
As a result, several infrastructure projects have been carried out in the city in a bid to improve the lives of the people who live there. But these developments have been done mainly in a top-down way. This flies in the face of a growing global trend which has seen community participation take root. Examples include projects in South Africa, Botswana, Japan, Canada, and the UK.
This practice is growing globally because people directly affected by developments are increasingly being recognised as an essential part of the process. It ensures that the infrastructure projects truly meet the needs of the beneficiaries. Providing housing and other infrastructure that doesn’t consider the actual needs of the users usually leads to outcomes that don’t suit people’s needs.
