Wilfred Jana passes PhD viva on water governance, urban development and inequality in Lilongwe

Wilfred successfully passed his PhD viva following the defence of his thesis, The politics of water governance in Lilongwe: urban development, transcalar governance and negotiated statehood. His research offers an important contribution to debates on urban governance, infrastructure and inequality in African cities.

Wilfred’s PhD examines how water governance in Lilongwe, Malawi is shaped through political negotiations across multiple scales, and how these processes influence patterns of urban development. As he explains, “My research examines how water governance in Lilongwe, Malawi is shaped through political negotiations across local, national, and transnational scales, and how these negotiated water interventions in turn shape patterns of urban development in the city.”

Despite decades of major international investment in water infrastructure, significant inequalities persist. Wilfred highlights a central puzzle driving his research: “Why do persistent inequalities remain despite continuous investment, and how do these investments simultaneously produce uneven forms of urban development?” His thesis challenges explanations that focus solely on technical or institutional shortcomings, instead showing how political negotiations determine which projects are prioritised and who ultimately benefits.

A key contribution of the research is its transcalar approach to urban governance. Wilfred argues that cities are shaped by interactions between actors operating at different levels, noting that urban outcomes emerge from “interactions across local, national, and global scales,” rather than municipal decision-making alone.

Wilfred was also a key contributor to the ERC-funded project Making Africa Urban, which helped situate his research within wider comparative debates on African urbanisation. Looking ahead, he plans to develop journal publications from his thesis and pursue postdoctoral and early career research opportunities.

Wilfred’s viva was examined by Professor Sam Hickey (University of Manchester) and Professor Charlotte Lemanski (University of Cambridge. Many congratulations to Wilfred on this significant achievement.