Joekai Admits  Salary Disparities -CSA Adjusted 23,588 Salaries In 2025

MONROVIA – Liberia’s payroll rewards the wrong things, and the Government now admits it. CSA Director General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr. conceded that salary disparities persist across the public service. The admission came under questioning from THE ANALYST at Tuesday’s Ministry of Information briefing. A day earlier, Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah exposed the anomaly publicly. Some high school graduates, he said, earn more than master’s degree holders. Joekai could not say how the distortion began. He cited top-ups for 23,588 workers in 2025 as progress. He also called the correction a presidential mandate. Yet he offered no completion date. For underpaid professionals, a mandate without a deadline remains a promise. THE ANALYST’s GEORGE C. FLOMO reports.

The Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr., has acknowledged the existence of salary disparities within Liberia’s public service. He disclosed that the Government is working to address the situation through ongoing compensation adjustments and collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).

Joekai made the disclosure in response to a question raised by THE ANALYST’s reporter during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Tuesday. He was asked to explain how disparities in public-sector salaries occurred and what mechanisms the CSA has put in place to ensure that employees’ compensation reflects their qualifications, professional classifications, responsibilities, and years of service.

Piah Flags Salary Anomaly

The question was prompted by concerns raised a day earlier by Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah during a special press briefing with the Minister of Finance and Development Planning. Piah highlighted what he described as an anomaly in the Government’s salary structure, pointing out that some high school graduates were earning more than individuals holding master’s degrees.

He said the situation was among the inherited challenges that needed attention. Piah added that the Ministry of Information did not have the authority to independently correct the disparities, pointing instead to the CSA and the MFDP as the responsible institutions.

23,588 Salaries Adjusted In 2025

Responding, Joekai admitted that he could not explain how the disparities initially emerged, noting that the situation existed before he assumed leadership of the CSA. However, he maintained that the agency had been undertaking interventions to improve the compensation structure of public-sector employees, disclosing that in 2025 alone, the Government adjusted the pay structure of 23,588 employees across four sectors, including security, health, education, and agriculture.

He explained that the adjustments involved strategic salary top-ups for employees whose earnings fell below their respective pay grades, bringing them closer to what he described as their fair compensation levels. He, however, acknowledged that the exercise was not yet complete, which accounts for the continued existence of salary disparities across Government institutions.

No Timeline For Correction

The CSA Director General further disclosed that the agency intends to work closely with the MFDP, based on available budgetary projections, to significantly address the remaining disparities. He emphasized that correcting the situation is not merely an administrative choice but a mandate of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, underscoring the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the existing compensation gaps are addressed. While his response outlined ongoing efforts and the Government’s commitment, Joekai did not provide a specific timeline for completing the proposed adjustments.