• Get to know the dedicated professionals behind our success
Profile picture for user pm79xiba

Patrick Erasto Mlinga

Lecturer

Institute of Development Studies

Biography

Dr Patrick Mlinga is a Lecturer at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, where he teaches and conducts research in Development Studies, urban development and African cities. He holds a PhD in African Studies from the University of Leipzig, Germany.

 

His research interests include urban development and urbanisation, development policy analysis, livelihood diversification, rural–urban linkages, and the socio-cultural dimensions of development in sub-Saharan Africa. His work examines how individuals and communities navigate development processes and shape their livelihoods within changing rural and urban contexts. A central concern of his research is the agency of local actors and the importance of recognising locally grounded knowledge, practices and experiences in development thinking and policy.

 

His broader scholarly interests focus on understanding contemporary African development and contributing to more inclusive, context-sensitive and sustainable approaches to development policy and practice.

Research Interest

Research and Supervision Interests
  1. African Cities and Urban Development
  2. Urban Governance, State-Society Relations, Mobility and Transport Infrastructure
  3. Urban Informality, Livelihoods and Everyday Economies
  4. Local Government, Decentralisation and Development Finance

  5. Gender and Inclusive Development

     

Teaching Interests 
  1. Development Studies
  2. Development Policy Analysis
  3. African Cities, Urbanisation and Urban Development
  4. State, Governance and Local Government Development
  5. Research Methods

Contacts

Email:

Projects

Emergent World-class Transport Infrastructures: Urban Visions and Infrastructural Spaces in African cities

  • The comparative project, conducted from 2022 to 2025, focuses on Dar es Salaam, Maputo, Niamey and Accra, exploring the socio-spatial effects of major transport infrastructures and the ways they create new patterns of urban inclusion and exclusion. Using qualitative and ethnographic approaches, the research investigates how these projects influence mobility, access to urban opportunities, everyday livelihoods and broader visions of urban development.

 

Trees for the Future Tanzania Country Strategic Plan 2026–2030

  • The assignment, conducted from November 2025 to February 2026, involved providing consultancy support for the development of the Trees for the Future Tanzania Country Strategic Plan 2026–2030. It included facilitating the strategic planning process and providing technical input in drafting the Country Strategic Plan, including strategic priorities, Theory of Change, SMART objectives, operational planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework, stakeholder engagement, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and carbon market readiness.

 

Global Youth Political Participation Index (GYPPI)

  • The assignment, conducted from February to April 2025, involved serving as a Country Data Consultant for the Global Youth Political Participation Index (GYPPI), funded by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD). It focused on country-level data collection, compilation and validation for assessing youth political participation and contributing evidence to the comparative international index.

 

Publications

Msoka, C.T., Japhet, P. & Mlinga, P. (2026). Informality, crisis and resilience: street vendors and the politics of survival in post-pandemic Dar es Salaam. International Development Planning Review 48, 219-235. DOI:10.3828/idpr.2025.34