MONROVIA: As the mantle of authority changed at the Civil Service Agency (CSA), the newly appointed Director General of the Institute, Mr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr. has expressed optimism that with the confidence reposed in him by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, he was humbled to bring his wealth of experience and passion for positive change to the civil service just as he stated he was committed to working assiduously to advance the mission of building a more efficient, responsive, and inclusive civil service for the people of Liberia despite any challenge.
Delivering his maiden address to staffers of the CSA early this week during a brief but colorful program to usher in his tenure, Joekai said “the CSA is a cornerstone institution with the mandate to enhance efficiency and centralize personnel management within Liberia’s governmental framework. He further said the institution is tasked with the comprehensive administration of the Civil Service, involving essential functions such as capacity planning, recruitment, training, performance management, and career advancement.
“Moreover, the CSA is a strategic advisor to the Government of Liberia, providing counsel on organizational structuring, staffing strategies, compensation packages, pension schemes, and broader human resource development initiatives. With a commitment to fostering competence, professionalism, and motivation among civil servants, the CSA plays a pivotal role in ensuring the proficiency and responsiveness of our civil service to meet the government’s workforce needs”, an elated Joekai said.
The new DG whose entourage also included his darling wife, Mrs. Joan Joekai, his son, Joekai, Jr, the Deputy Speaker, Thomas P. Fallah, Deputy DG Smith, the Director General of the General Services Agency(GSA), Galakpai Kortimai and a host of other dignitaries told the elated audience that as he picked up his new assignment as Director General of CSA, he was fully aware of the enormity of the challenges confronting the nation’s Civil Service and he will deploy his vast experience and education garnered at various positions and institutions to find workable solutions to the many problems for the benefit of the country and its people.
He also used the occasion to formally introduce himself so that the staffers will have a better understanding of who he is and how much he cherishes ethical issues at work places and the need to do more to produce results.
“My academic journey reflects a commitment to lifelong learning and a passion for advancing knowledge in service to society. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Liberia and a Master of Arts in Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation from the same esteemed institution. Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Adler University in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. The emphasis of my Ph.D. is in workforce, leadership, and institutional development, exactly a solid credential needed for the position of Director-General of the Civil Service Agency.
“Also, I am a published author with my books sold by many online marketplaces including Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, and physical bookstores in Liberia and the United States. Additionally, I have published several peer-reviewed articles that strongly support research in democracy and elections, politics, and governance.
“Professionally, I have had the privilege of serving across diverse sectors, both in Liberia and the United States. From roles in the Ministry of Education in Liberia to leadership positions in the United States, I served as Executive Programs Manager at the Charter School Collective of the State of Connecticut and Customer Service Specialist at DMT Solutions Global Corporation. I have consistently sought to leverage my expertise to drive meaningful impact and foster positive change”.
“In Liberia, I served as Executive Director of the Liberia National Commission on Arms, where I led initiatives to ensure effective arms management and security within our beloved nation, and as Director of Civic and Voter Education at the National Elections Commission, where I led efforts to foster equitable participation and peaceful electoral processes. These experiences have equipped me with vital acumen into the complexities of our governance systems, conflict resolution, and organizational development, which I am eager and committed to bring to bear in service to our beloved country. A profound commitment to excellence, integrity, and inclusivity has guided my journey”, he said amidst cheers from the audience.
Reeling out what he intends to do during his tenure, Joekai said he will establish robust systems for storing and updating employee information, facilitating recruitment and onboarding processes, and implementing effective time and attendance tracking mechanisms to ensure each employee receives pay for time worked.
The new CSA Boss stated further that the CSA will take appropriate measures to enhance performance management practices, provide employee training and development opportunities, and streamline payroll processing and benefits administration procedures.
“Under my watch, the CSA will establish a comprehensive database of Liberian professionals in various fields at home and abroad. The goal is to ensure that Liberian professionals or experts are first considered for providing technical and professional services to various government entities. We will work closely with our partners to forge a better understanding of the mechanics when it particularly comes to technical support initiatives supported by them.
“That said, a foreign expert will be considered only if no Liberian expert exists in a particular field, which is almost impossible. This crucial initiative fulfills the “Liberian First” policy, which is a catalyst for providing more high-paying jobs for Liberians and creating a middle class in our economy”, he said.
Joekai, An accomplished author of books sold by many online marketplaces including Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, and physical bookstores in Liberia and the United States, attracted excitement from the audience when he said his foremost leadership objective is to equip each member of the Civil Service with the essential tools, skills, and resources necessary for optimal performance in their respective roles.
“Through the cultivation of a culture rooted in accountability, transparency, innovation, and productivity, we aim to ignite a renewed sense of purpose and commitment within our workforce for future generations”, he said.
Earlier, Joekai had spoken about the challenges he has been informed about especially from the poor financial status of CSA, the headache of sustaining the huge government employees and the alarming average monthly wage bill.
“As take over today, March 12, 2024, the bank balance of the CSA USD Account is $191.00, and the LRD Account is $10,200.00. As of February 2024, the total employee strength of the CSA alone is 322, of which more than 200 sits at the central office with a total wage bill of US$ 227,416.62. Furthermore, I have inherited an overstuffed payroll, currently sustaining 67,746 employees across the 103 spending entities, with an alarming average monthly wage bill of US$23 543 874 64.
“This financial burden is seriously straining government resources and depriving citizens of crucial social services such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and sanitation. In the coming days, the CSA will take stringent measures to significantly streamline our workforce, eliminating redundancies, inefficiencies, and irregularities. Employment expectations are extremely high. I am also aware of the government’s responsibility to create employment opportunities and other basic social services.
“However, in the immediate term, we are shifting focus from employment to cleaning up the payroll. This action is paramount to fixing the longstanding payroll complexities, huge financial burden, and workforce inefficiencies. Immediately following today’s turnover ceremony, the CSA, with approval from His Excellency the President, will request the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive national forensic payroll audit of the 103 spending entities for the period 2022-2023. The payrolls of the CSA and the Central Administration of the National Legislature will also be audited”, he said.
He referenced the GAC employment audit carried out in 2021 which covered the period January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021 and said based on the grave findings of that audit and the Auditor General’s position underscoring significant risk factors such as illegitimate individuals or personnel being paid for services not performed; payment made to ghost employees, thereby leading to fraud, waste, and misappropriation; illegitimate excuses provided for individuals who abandoned their official duties; and employees who left their entities due to resignation, dismissal, redundancy, and death, but are still receiving salaries. He lamented that these are just a few of the critical risk factors that pointedly threaten the efficiency and productivity of the civil service.
He said based on the outcome of the audit, some recommendations were made, such as, that the Comptroller and Accounting General office place a moratorium on the salaries of all employees not verified in the physical verification exercise and for whom legitimate excuses were not provided, that individuals not verified during the verification exercise should avail themselves along with all relevant employment documents to the office of the auditor General within 90 days of issuing the final report, individuals who are not verified within a 90-day period should be permanently removed from the government of Liberia payroll, excuse of absence should be verified on a case-by-case basis. All individuals for whom excuses were granted on the basis of annual, maternity leave and representation on official duties are required to avail themselves to the Auditor General for verification within 90 days and he human resource and internal audit functions of the affected entities should ensure periodic review of employment documentation, perform periodic head counts/physical verifications, and conduct periodic reconciliation of payroll to detect and correct payroll processing errors and fraud.
“Unfortunately, these recommendations have not been implemented, evidenced by the existence of the very same redundancies, inefficiencies, and irregularities accounting for the bloated payroll and underqualified individuals occupying critical positions across various entities. Therefore, the CSA will waste no time ensuring that this much-needed payroll audit is immediately conducted.
“Once the payroll is sanitized, the workforce and wage bill are significantly streamlined for the first time across our Civil Service, and with the approval of His Excellency, the President, and the Senate, the CSA will fully implement a biweekly payment system for all civil servants. For example, if a teacher, police officer, or nurse makes a net monthly salary of US$300.00 or its Liberian Dollar equivalent, he/she will receive US$150.00 every two weeks on the 15th and 30th of each month.
“This crucial action is doable my friends. All we need to do is readjust our agreement with the commercial banks to make the first payment to civil servants on the 15th of each month. We will work with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to ensure that salary remittances to commercial banks are made before the 30th so that on the 30th, civil servants can receive their second and final payment of the month. So you see, as I said, this is doable and it will be implemented”, he concluded.
Director General Joekai earlier thanked his predecessor, Mr. James A. Thompson, and his team for their stewardship of the CSA, committing to building upon their efforts to propel the Civil Service toward greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah who also made remarks at the occasion consented that the public payroll is bloated.
“I have the opportunity in the past government to have served as Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means and Finance, and my experience is that they will say 10 persons are employed in the office that were being paid while in reality you will hardly find five persons there”, Representative Fallah said,
At the Program where the Small Town International Entertainers thrilled the audience to the delight of those present, DG Joekai and his Deputy Administration were honored by employees of CSA and the President’s Young Professionals amongst others.
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