On July 9, 2026, the Lagos State Government of Nigeria and a consortium led by China Harbour Engineering Co., Ltd. officially signed a memorandum of cooperation. This African super city with a permanent population of over 20 million has long been plagued by shortages of domestic and industrial water, and overexploitation of groundwater has brought environmental risks such as land subsidence and seawater backflow. With the completion of the signing, a water supply upgrade project that concerns the lifeline of the city has begun, and it has also opened up a new track for infrastructure cooperation between China and Africa.

The consortium is responsible for the design and construction

The Lagos State Government has signed a memorandum of cooperation with a consortium consisting of China Harbour Engineering Corporation Limited and Naston Engineering Nigeria Limited. According to the agreement, the consortium will be responsible for project planning and design, and promote the construction of large-scale water treatment facilities and water supply pipelines, comprehensively enhancing the urban water supply capacity of Lagos. Tokunbao Wahab, the Environment and Water Resources Commissioner of Lagos State, stated that this collaboration is an important milestone in improving the city's water supply system, helping to reduce residents' dependence on groundwater and mitigate environmental risks caused by excessive groundwater extraction.

Upgrading water supply releases economic momentum

The long-term shortage of water supply has forced local manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceutical, and hotel industries to build their own water supply and purification systems, driving up business operating costs. Improving the municipal water supply network will reduce the cost of water for enterprises, enhance the operational efficiency of industrial parks and free trade zones, and improve the level of public health. During the project construction period, it will also drive employment in areas such as pipeline installation, equipment manufacturing, and engineering construction, further unleashing the economic driving effect of infrastructure investment. Keywords:Engineering Construction 、Engineering Information

Chinese enterprises deeply cultivate new tracks in Africa

In recent years, Chinese enterprises have continued to participate in the construction of infrastructure such as transportation, ports, electricity, and water supply in Africa. With the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization in Africa, basic infrastructure for people's livelihoods such as water supply and treatment is becoming a new growth point for China Africa cooperation. The participation of China Harbour in the Lagos water supply upgrade project marks the expansion of Chinese enterprises from traditional transportation engineering to urban public infrastructure, further improving their strategic layout in the African infrastructure market.Editor/Gao Xue