Monrovia, Liberia – Concerns over payroll leakage and harmonized low salaries that lower the country’s standard of living have inundated the public sector since President Joseph N. Boakai’s Unity Party government took office. A typical Liberian family of four is used to one meal each day rather than three good meals because of the low earnings created by the scenario.
But how will this issue be fixed? In front of the Senate during his confirmation hearing, the Civil Service Agency’s (CSA) designated Director-General made reform proposals that included a multi-sectoral civil service approach across agencies aimed at enhancing the provision of social services and the civil service in Liberia.
As the Government of Liberia’s strategic advisor, the CSA is recognized for its expertise in organizational structure, staffing strategies, compensation packages, pension plans, and larger human resource development initiatives. Josiah F. Jokai, the newly appointed Director-General of the CSA, has pledged to use his stewardship at the agency to support the development of civil servants’ skills, professionalism, and drive.
He affirmed that he will build on the achievements of the previous administration to advance our Civil Service toward greater efficiency and effectiveness, noting that the CSA is essential to ensuring the ability, proficiency, and responsiveness of the Liberian civil service to meet the government’s workforce needs while consistently providing high-quality and efficient services to our country.
Nonetheless, he discussed the significant obstacles that the civil service faces and how he plans to overcome them.
He listed the difficulties the civil service is now facing, citing the largest as the bloated payroll, which he claimed supports 67,746 workers across 103 entities at a startling average monthly salary bill of US$23 543 874 64.
DG-appointed Further, Joekai stated that this financial burden puts a strain on government resources and denies citizens access to essential social services like infrastructure, healthcare, sanitation, and education. he also noted that in order to address this issue, swift action is required to streamline the workforce, get rid of redundancies, and allocate resources as efficiently as possible in order to prioritize our people’s most basic needs.
He added that the absence of efficient mechanisms for hiring, testing, onboarding, and performance management in the Liberian Civil Service hinders the organization’s capacity to draw and keep top talent, leading to the appointment of unfit individuals to important roles.
Above all, he stated that the Civil Service Agency (CSA) must conduct a thorough national payroll audit. To that end, he will request permission from President Boakai to lead the formation of a multi-sectoral committee that includes the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), the General Auditing Commission (GAC), and the CSA.
