Hybrid governance of urban food Markets in Tanzania: contested power and uneven participation

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Introduction The growth of urban food markets in African cities has made them central to food access, employment, and everyday livelihoods, particularly for low-income residents. Yet these markets are often governed through hybrid arrangements in which municipal authorities, trader associations, and informal actors share responsibilities in uneven and contested ways. This paper examines how power and participation are negotiated within the governance of Mabibo Market, one of Dar es Salaam’s largest food markets. Methods Drawing on document analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and Gaventa’s Power Cube, the paper analyses how visible, hidden, and invisible forms of power shape participation across formal, invited, and informally claimed governance spaces. Results The findings show that municipal oversight has strengthened administrative control and contributed to market upgrading but also reproduced asymmetrical authority. Traders and their associations are formally included in governance structures, but their role is largely procedural, with limited influence over decisions on stall allocation, fees, rule enforcement, and infrastructure. Informal networks, historical claims to space, patronage, and gendered leadership norms further shape access to resources and voice. Discussion The paper argues that hybrid governance should not be assumed to produce inclusion simply because state and non-state actors coexist. Instead, Mabibo Market reflects a form of managed participation in which formal inclusion coexists with continued state dominance and embedded inequalities.

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