Monrovia, Liberia – Josiah Joekai, the Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with three Liberian insurance providers to offer coverage to public sector workers.
Activa International Liberia Incorporated, Saar Insurance Company, and Insurance Company of Africa (ICA) are among the businesses that have signed the MOU.
A major step toward bettering service delivery for government servants throughout Liberia’s 105 expenditure bodies, the signing ceremony was a component of larger civil service reforms.
Joekai, who took over the CSA in March, said that the organization has 103 companies under his command. Two more entities have now been added to the CSA’s jurisdiction, increasing the total to 105. For the purposes of human resource management, these organizations are covered by the CSA.
He outlined a number of reform efforts, such as the Board of Appeals’ 18-year reorganization and the government’s $4.1 million savings by cutting the number of consultants from 1,000 to less than 100.
Additionally, Joekai brought up the Employee Status Regularization Project (ESRP), which contributed to the workforce’s decrease from 67,746 to 61,000 by March 2024.
In order to verify government personnel and eliminate those who are not authorized employees, President Joseph Nyumah Boakai introduced the ESRP at the Ministry of Information, Culture, Affairs, and Tourism on July 4, 2024.
The workforce was further decreased to 61,000 by September 2024 as a result of continuous headcounts and verifications.
According to data Joekai provided, 9,232 employees lacked any qualifications at all, while 6,281 employees only had a high school degree as of the most recent audit. He also underlined the alarming age distribution, pointing out that a significant number of the workforce 17,874 employees fall between the ages of 46 and 60, highlighting the necessity of labor replenishment.
Joekai announced the revamping of the civil service examination system as part of yet another reform initiative. In order to enhance merit-based hiring, a new National Civil Service Testing Center has been established.
The testing facility has 27 cubicles with modern configurations, an automatic online reservation system, and email results that are available instantly. Joekai underlined the CSA’s dedication to professionalism and merit-based recruiting while extending an invitation to all businesses to use the center.
One of the most important changes made by the CSA was the overhaul of the consulting system, which had previously been quite expensive.
According to Joekai, the government spent $6.1 million on 1,000 consultants for the fiscal year 2023. By reducing the number of consultants to less than 100, the CSA was able to save $4.1 million by drafting new policy guidelines. The new strategy also made sure that consultants are paid according to their performance and offer professional services.
In order to enhance service delivery, Joekai also talked about the significance of appointing qualified personnel to important civil service roles. He contrasted the effectiveness of merit-based employment in nations like Ghana and Nigeria, where it has aided in national growth, with Liberia’s strategy.
In addition to denouncing previous recruiting practices that employed incompetent people, he reiterated the CSA’s resolve to eradicate ineptitude in the civil service.
The draft bill for the Civil Service Commission’s operationalization, which will be presented to the president for inclusion in Liberia’s 2025 legislative agenda, was discussed by Joekai at the occasion.
When this bill is approved, it would create the Civil Service Commission and satisfy Article 89 of the Liberian Constitution. This commission will further bolster the civil service’s independence and implement measures to enhance it.
Ambrose Batu Wreh, the Insurance Company of Africa’s Non-Life Manager, expressed his excitement for the CSA’s rapid success during the MOU signing event.
Although he recognized the difficulties the associations had brought up with regard to insurance firms, he was hopeful that they could be resolved by working with the CSA.
He said that the insurance business would be happy to continue working with the CSA in the future and acknowledged the ICA’s wish to support the civil service reforms.
Representatives from several insurance firms, as well as representatives from public service authorities, were present during the signing ceremony between the CSA and insurance companies.
