In this interview, Dr. Gelase Mutahaba discusses key initiatives undertaken during his tenure as Chief Technical Advisor for the Public Sector Reform Program. He commences by addressing the shifting focus of the Tanzanian civil service reform process post-1990s, from cost compression to restructuring, development, and training—essentially, from achieving a “small size” to attaining “the right size.” Muthaba describes his efforts in coordinating multiple civil service, public financial management, and legal sector reform efforts so as to prevent duplication of their efforts. He then describes the overarching effort, post-2000, to broaden the base of decision-makers involved in planning and implementation of reforms, which had previously been top-down and captured by the President’s Office Public Sector Management (POPSM) team. Mutahaba promoted an “MDA-led reform” which permitted ministries, departments and agencies to identify problems and constraints in terms of structures, processes, and procedures within their own ministries, and to then take their own initiative, working with POPSM, to tackle their issues.