Rethinking sustainable development goals (SDG) for floating slums in African coastal settings: Makoko community in Nigeria

Abstract

Rapid population growth in developing countries has led to the expansion of slums characterized by inadequate housing and poor sanitation. Floating slums, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, present unique challenges requiring tailored planning and design strategies. This study examines Makoko, a floating slum in Nigeria, which grapples with frequent flooding, outdated building technologies, and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The research proposes sustainable urban development indicators aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contextualized to address the specific needs of floating slums. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining expert interviews and multi-criteria decision-making methods such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). In the first phase, community challenges were identified, and tailored goals were developed based on the UN SDGs. In the second phase, AHP and ANP were used to prioritize and correlate these goals, integrating expert insights to rank them by significance and potential impact. This research introduces a novel framework, the Sustainable Floating Development Goals (SfDGs), tailored to address the unique challenges of floating slums like Makoko. Among the goals, sustainable livelihoods (SfDG 10) emerged as a foundational leverage point, serving as a critical indicator for socio-economic development. This goal exerts maximum influence on other priorities, such as resilience (Goal 1), disaster preparedness (Goal 9), and health and well-being (Goal 6). By fostering economic stability and self-sufficiency, promoting sustainable livelihoods not only improves the socio-economic conditions of Makoko residents but also indirectly enhances their adaptive capacity to environmental hazards and strengthens access to essential services such as healthcare. These insights provide a comprehensive framework for enhancing the sustainability and resilience of Makoko, offering guidance for policymakers and urban planners addressing similar challenges in other contexts. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.