๐๐๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐, ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ฎ โ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐๐๐ง 16, 2026: The Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr., on Friday, October 16, 2026, began holding consultative meetings with selected Government of Liberia Spending Entities in Bong County ahead of a major inspection of ongoing construction works of the CSA Regional Headquarters in Gbarnga.
The institutions include the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), the Ministry of Education local offices in Gbarnga and Phebe Hospital.
The engagements, according to Dr. Joekai, are part of efforts to familiarize those institutions with ongoing reforms in the civil service and decentralize the delivery of services to public sector employees. Dr. Joekai and his delegation were earlier received by the senior management of the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), headed by its Director-General, Dr. Arthur Bob Karnuah.
During the meeting, the CSA Director-General briefed the CARI management about some of the reforms in the civil service, particularly civil servantsโ welfare programs, human resource management, and continued personnel verification exercises across the 109 Government Spending Entities.
Dr. Joekai also provided updates on the CSAโs decentralization program, including the construction of regional headquarters in Gbarnga, Bong County, and Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County. He explained that the decentralization initiative is intended to bring CSA services closer to civil servants across the country, reduce transportation costs, and minimize the need for civil servants to travel to Monrovia to access essential payroll and human resource management services.
For his part, CARI Director General Dr. Arthur Bob Karnuah described the visit as a significant step toward motivating the institutionโs workforce and understanding the challenges facing CARI. Dr. Karnuah reaffirmed CARIโs commitment to strengthening collaboration with the CSA to improve human resource management and enhance the institutionโs overall effectiveness.
Following the meeting at CARI, Dr. Joekai and delegation visited the Ministry of Educationโs offices in Gbarnga, where they met with Bong County Education Officer David V. Boakai, a team of technicians and several District Education Officers (DEOs).
During the engagement, Mr. Boakai commended the CSA Director-General for the visit and expressed the local Ministry of Education officeโs full support for the Agencyโs decentralization initiative. He also highlighted the challenges faced by teachers in rural communities, particularly the difficulties associated with resolving payroll discrepancies and other employment-related concerns that often require travel to Monrovia.
In response, Dr. Joekai assured the Ministryโs local officials that the CSA would give due attention to the concerns raised during the engagements and work toward addressing issues affecting civil servants as the reform and decentralization processes continue.
Dr. Joekai and his delegation are scheduled to meet with the management of Phebe Hospital on Saturday, October 17, 2026 before leading the inspection of construction works on the CSAโs regional headquarters in Gbarnga.
Members of the CSA delegation include Zarballee K. Woiwor, Special Technical Assistant to the Director-General; Steve Kettor, Director of Regional Services; Victor Kpatakolee, Director of Security; Varflay Kamara, Director of Communications and Public Relations; and Jerry Flomo, Deputy Financial Comptroller.
The visit underscores the CSAโs continued commitment to civil service reform, improved employee welfare, effective human resource management, and the decentralization of services to ensure a more accessible and responsive public service across Liberia.