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Contribution long abstract

While some view informal communities as an environmental and health nuisance, research suggests they are centres of resilience and local agency capable of developing community-led solutions in the absence of government support. This paper explores the transformative potential of women-led water and sanitation committees as drivers of governance reform and social enterprise within Lagos’s informal settlements. Drawing from the research project Informal Settlements as Spaces of Transformative Agency: A Community-Based Approach to WASH Infrastructure in Lagos, Nigeria, the study situates gendered leadership within broader debates on equity, governance, and sustainable urban development. It challenges the conventional framing of informal settlements as sites of deprivation and instead positions them as spaces of innovation where community agency redefines citizenship and resilience. Okerube, a densely populated informal settlement of nearly 900,000 residents, reflects the magnitude of Nigeria’s WASH crisis. Only two public boreholes serve the entire settlement, while sanitation facilities are severely limited. Top-down interventions have not achieved sustainable outcomes. This research advances a community-led social enterprise model that embeds collective ownership, fee-based management, and gender-inclusive governance to ensure the longevity of local infrastructure. Central to this transformation are women-led water and sanitation committees, which function as governance anchors within the community. Through targeted training in plumbing, financial literacy, health education, and leadership, women are empowered to oversee water systems, manage finances, and advocate for equitable access. Findings indicate that women’s collective organizing enhances access to water and sanitation while deepening democratic participation and transparency, demonstrating that sustainability must emerge from community-rooted action.