Comparative Evaluation of the TANROADS Road Maintenance Management System (RMMS) against MCDA Practice: Systematic Review - A Case of Tanzania

Abstract

The Road Maintenance Management System (RMMS) employed by TANROADS provides a structured, multi-criteria analysis (MCA) framework for prioritising maintenance interventions on trunk and regional roads. This study systematically reviewed the literature to assess RMMS effectiveness in the Mbeya Region, identify implementation barriers, and propose optimisations amid constrained resources and climate vulnerabilities. A PRISMA-guided systematic literature review searched academic databases and journals, using targeted keywords related to RMMS, MCA in road maintenance, and challenges in Tanzania and comparable contexts. About 60 key peer-reviewed articles, reports, and documents were retained after screening for relevance, yielding an inductive content analysis of RMMS decision-making, priority logic, success factors, barriers, and international comparisons. The results showed that the RMMS was effective on high-traffic corridors but had limitations on regional roads, including persistent traffic-centric bias, inadequate integration of climate vulnerabilities, insufficient GIS modelling, institutional capacity constraints, partial funding disbursements, and poor adaptability of MCA weights and HDM-4 models. Comparative analysis with MCDA systems in Indonesia (AHP-GIS for spatial), Australia (optimised hybrids for climate resilience), the United States (LCA-integrated equity), and Nigeria/South Africa (rural-focused GIS-MCDA) highlights RMMS as less equitable and climate-responsive. Recommendations include recalibrating MCA weights to enhance rural equity and climate resilience, adopting digital tools and GIS for improved data quality, implementing targeted training and capacity building, securing full funding alignment, and piloting hybrid models (e.g., fuzzy-AHP). These enhancements could foster more proactive and sustainable maintenance priorities in Mbeya and similar Tanzanian regions.