LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Men in Nigeria lower buckets into the murky water of the Lagos Lagoon and bring up loads of sand, one by one. Going underwater for about 15 seconds at a time, dredgers haul up bucketloads bound for construction sites, reshaping the coastline of Africa’s largest city.
Filling a boat takes about three hours, which is worth about 12,000 naira ($8) to a middleman who supplies larger buyers. Dredgers and local traders say the price of sand, crucial for making concrete, has risen steadily.
The changes to the lagoon are unmistakable. What was once an open stretch of water is increasingly broken up by sandy patches, narrowing channels, and reshaping currents that support thousands of fishermen.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Aerial view of heaps of sand and dredging equipment in the busy Ajah area of Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Aerial view of heaps of sand and dredging equipment in the busy Ajah area of Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Worker shovels up freshly extracted sharp sand from dredging transporter in Ibeshe, Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Worker shovels up freshly extracted sharp sand from dredging transporter in Ibeshe, Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Fishermen in the lagoon in Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Fishermen in the lagoon in Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Sand extraction in progress on Lagos waters, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Sand extraction in progress on Lagos waters, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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One of thousands of local dredgers diving for sand to support his household on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. He said he and his partner earn about 12,000 naira ($8) each per boatload, selling to a middleman who supplies larger buyers. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
One of thousands of local dredgers diving for sand to support his household on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. He said he and his partner earn about 12,000 naira ($8) each per boatload, selling to a middleman who supplies larger buyers. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Aerial view of heaps of sand and dredging equipment in the busy Ajah area of Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Lagos is in constant construction. Roads, bridges and housing estates are rising daily on reclaimed waterfronts as the city’s rich displace many of its poor. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Aerial view of heaps of sand and dredging equipment in the busy Ajah area of Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Lagos is in constant construction. Roads, bridges and housing estates are rising daily on reclaimed waterfronts as the city’s rich displace many of its poor. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Worker shovels up freshly extracted sharp sand from a dredging transporter in Ibeshe, Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Worker shovels up freshly extracted sharp sand from a dredging transporter in Ibeshe, Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Aerial view of Makoko, one of Lagos’ oldest fishing communities where dredging barges operate close to homes built on stilts on Saturday, Dec.13, 2025. Residents say the encroachment has destroyed fishing grounds and put many out of work. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Aerial view of Makoko, one of Lagos’ oldest fishing communities where dredging barges operate close to homes built on stilts on Saturday, Dec.13, 2025. Residents say the encroachment has destroyed fishing grounds and put many out of work. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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Residents on a boat on the Lagos Lagoon on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Residents on a boat on the Lagos Lagoon on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
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