CSA Flags Skills Gaps at MICAT-Audit Prompts Reclassification, Redeployment

By George C. Flomo

MONROVIA – The Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Dr. Josiah F. Jokai, has disclosed the findings of a comprehensive personnel and credential verification exercise conducted at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), describing the process as a critical step toward workforce accountability and institutional reform.

Dr. Jokai made the disclosure on Friday, January 23, 2026, at the Charles Gbenyon Press Hall during the official transfer of Culture Affairs and Tourism personnel from MICAT to the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA). He explained that the verification exercise was undertaken at the request of Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, following consultations on transitioning tourism-related staff to the newly established Authority.

According to Dr. Jokai, the CSA conducted the verification over a two-week period, producing a comprehensive report that profiles staff identities, academic and professional qualifications, attendance records, and alignment of personnel with assigned roles.

He emphasized that the transition was not being carried out indiscriminately, but rather with clarity and accountability. “These employees are not being transitioned as a batch,” Jokai said. “They are being transitioned with a clear understanding of who is who.”

The verification covered the entire MICAT workforce, while a more focused assessment was conducted for the Departments of Culture Affairs and Tourism, whose staff are transitioning to LNTA. At the time of the exercise, MICAT had a total workforce of 383 employees, representing its full payroll strength.

Out of a sample of 287 staff members reviewed, 255 physically appeared before the verification team and had their records updated. Ten employees failed to appear and were therefore unverified, while fifteen were excused due to outstation assignments or other legitimate reasons. Seven individuals were identified as presidential appointees and were captured separately in the report.

Dr. Jokai disclosed that a significant number of personnel files were incomplete or outdated, lacking appointment letters, academic credentials, job descriptions, identification records, bank details, and references.

He noted that these deficiencies were corrected during the verification process, with files standardized in accordance with national civil service compliance requirements.

The CSA confirmed that 226 MICAT employees were actively reporting for duty and recorded no attendance violations. However, attendance infractions were identified among 29 staff members. As a result, the CSA recommended salary deductions for 19 employees who were absent between three and six days, suspension without pay for four employees absent between seven and thirteen days, and dismissal for six employees who were absent for fourteen days or more.

Dr. Jokai stressed that these disciplinary actions are clearly prescribed under existing civil service rules and procedures.

The verification report also revealed a mixed educational and skills profile within MICAT. The workforce includes thirteen Master’s degree holders, one hundred and three Bachelor’s degree holders, twelve Associate degree holders, forty-eight employees with vocational or professional diplomas, fifty-one high school graduates, and twenty-seven employees with no academic or professional credentials.

Dr. Jokai warned that the presence of seventy-eight staff members with only high school education or no credentials represents a skills gap that could affect productivity and institutional capacity.

In assessing job-role alignment, the CSA found that one hundred and eighty-five employees were properly placed in their positions, while twenty-eight were overqualified, eighteen were under-qualified, and twenty-four were completely misplaced. Based on these findings, a total of seventy employees will be reclassified or redeployed to ensure fairness, efficiency, and merit-based placement across the institution.

On gender composition, Dr. Jokai reported that among the 255 verified MICAT staff, males constituted forty-two percent, while females accounted for thirty-eight percent, a disparity he said calls for equity-focused workforce planning.

Turning to the LNTA transition, Dr. Jokai disclosed that as of November 2025, the tourism and culture workforce comprised one hundred employees. Of this number, eighty-nine employees were physically verified, nine were unverified due to leave, illness, or outstation assignments, and two were identified as presidential appointees.

The CSA confirmed that eighty-five employees were actively reporting for duty, providing a reliable baseline for payroll integrity at the LNTA.

The credential verification of LNTA-bound staff revealed that the workforce includes two Master’s degree holders, twenty-nine Bachelor’s degree holders, one Associate degree holder, twelve employees with vocational or professional diplomas, twenty-four high school graduates, and twenty-one employees with no credentials.

Dr. Jokai disclosed that fifty-four employees possess legitimate, verifiable academic or professional credentials.

He emphasized that credential verification includes third-party authentication, with documents sent back to issuing institutions to ensure authenticity and avoid speculation or witch-hunts. However, fourteen credentials were flagged as suspected or unverifiable and have been referred for appropriate administrative action.

On gender balance at LNTA, Dr. Jokai noted near parity, with forty-five males representing fifty-one percent and forty-four females accounting for forty-nine percent of the verified workforce. He praised Minister Piah for overseeing a transition that preserves gender balance within the tourism sector.

The CSA outlined several immediate actions flowing from the verification exercise, including the verification of all unverified staff to eliminate ghost names, the reclassification or redeployment of twelve LNTA staff and seventy MICAT staff, the removal of staff with only high school education or no credentials from classified or technical roles, enforcement of salary deductions for attendance violations, and the processing of retirement for staff who meet pension eligibility requirements.

Dr. Jokai concluded that the verification exercise has provided MICAT and LNTA with a data-driven workforce profile, strengthened payroll accountability, and laid a solid foundation for sustainable human resource planning. He stressed that leadership commitment, continuous monitoring, and modernization of human resource systems will be essential to institutionalizing transparency and efficient service delivery across government.