Lagos taps Lagoon literacy to drive blue economy push
The Lagos State Government has launched a water-based public engagement platform, “Library on the Lagoon,” in a move to deepen environmental awareness, tackle pollution, and strengthen its blue economy agenda
The Lagos State Government has launched a water-based public engagement platform, “Library on the Lagoon,” in a move to deepen environmental awareness, tackle pollution, and strengthen its blue economy agenda across inland waterways.
Unveiled yesterday, the initiative signals a shift toward integrating community-driven advocacy and creative engagement into the state’s broader maritime sustainability strategy, with officials positioning it as a scalable model for cleaner and more economically viable waterways.
Speaking at the launch on behalf of the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, the General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Tunde Ajayi, said the project aligns with the agency’s ongoing efforts to monitor and reduce pollution across Lagos’ lagoon systems.
“We thought it was important to engage the creative arts. This initiative provides a platform to reach creative minds who care about environmental protection,” Ajayi said.
He noted that LASEPA’s regulatory work, particularly around pollution density and water quality indicators, would be strengthened by public participation and awareness-driven interventions.
“Bringing people into this awareness and encouraging discussions about cleaning the lagoon and ocean is a simple but powerful form of advocacy,” he added.
Ajayi expressed optimism that the initiative could support practical waste reduction outcomes within the lagoon ecosystem.
“This is one of the ways to mop up plastic waste that has found its way into the lagoon, and it is a very good one,” he said.
Project Director of the initiative, Maryam Kazeem, described the concept as a redefinition of traditional knowledge spaces, repositioned within Lagos’ maritime environment to drive behavioural change and policy-relevant conversations.
“The research for this project started about a year ago. We are thinking about the lagoon as a social research space, where a library is not just a stationary place but something created through interaction and shared experience,” Kazeem said.
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She explained that the platform enables participants to engage directly on the water through guided activities designed to interrogate the lagoon’s historical, environmental, and economic relevance.
“At the centre of the exercise is a trash wheel powered by a typewriter, which is still in its prototype stage. The idea is to invite people to sit with the water, observe it, and think critically about their relationship with it,” she added.
Kazeem stressed that the initiative is also structured to confront the growing threat of pollution in Lagos waterways through experimental tools and collective engagement.
“It is more than what one person or even government can handle alone. We need to think about it collectively,” she said.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Blue Economy, Damilola Emmanuel, framed the initiative as a multi-stakeholder model capable of supporting long-term maritime sustainability and economic utilisation of inland waterways.
“We are very excited because government cannot do it alone. We need the private sector, the non-profit sector, and everyone to work together to preserve our lagoons,” Emmanuel said.
He added that the state government is already considering expansion of the initiative across multiple water corridors in Lagos, given the strategic importance of its extensive lagoon network to transport, tourism, and environmental resilience.
“This is just one location, but we will continue to support its expansion. We want it to reach every part of Lagos because our lagoons are very extensive,” he said.
The one-week programme, running from April 26 to May 2, 2026, between 12:00pm and 6:00pm daily, is being held at the Five Cowries Creek Terminal, Falomo, Ikoyi, and is expected to serve as a pilot for broader replication.
Developed through a collaboration involving LASEPA, Iranti Press, and A Whitespace Creative Arts Foundation, the project underscores a growing policy direction in Lagos that links environmental protection with economic sustainability under the blue economy framework.
Industry observers note that beyond its advocacy value, the initiative reflects an emerging recognition that sustainable management of Lagos’ waterways—critical to coastal trade, fisheries, and urban transport, will depend not only on regulation but also on sustained public engagement and behavioural change.
