Monrovia — President Joseph N. Boakai has thrown jabs at pundits opposing the primary work of his government, noting that their whine will not deter his administration from ensuring Liberia gets on the right trajectory.
"Let them go on Facebook and the media and say what they want to say, but we will ensure that Liberia becomes a country of respect, honesty and value," President Boakai said.
Speaking Tuesday, April 30, at the official launch of the Civil Service Agency National Consultancy Guide in Congo Town President Boakai noted policies being put in place by his administration are not intended to please anyone but to ensure that Liberia is a nation that is envisioned to be promising.
According to Boakai, the Rescue Agenda of his administration is one thing but to be on track with policy is another key thing to consider.
Therefore, he believes the new policy guidelines being launched are cardinal to utilize consultancy services across government, which will. accordingly not just meet international best practices but will ensure that consultancy operations are streamlined to meet government standards of operation.
Boakai wants all Ministries and agencies of government to adhere to these guidelines and that it be shared with human resource heads of respective ministries and agencies.
President Boakai appreciated the CSA boss's cooperation in upholding excellence in government, by ensuring best practices and structure processes.
CSA is the principal human resource institute for the government of Liberia, responsible for managing the CSA Compliance with established regulations and procedures. With a focus on transparency, efficiency, and meritocracy, the CSA plays a crucial role in driving institutional excellence and promoting public trust in the government's operations.
At the launch of the guideline in Congo Town Tuesday, CSA Director-General Josiah F. Joekai Jr. said consultancy resources were wasted and unaccounted for, under the George Weah administration, amounting to US$6.1 Million.
Such an amount, according to Joekai was wasteful spending on consultants or constant firms, because the government, in 2020, took steps towards enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations by consolidating the oversight of consultancy services across various government agencies, aimed to streamline the allocation of funds earmarked for consultancy services, ensuring they address critical government need.
A critical aspect of this framework is the emphasis on accountability and performance evaluation.
Therefore, Joekai noted, that consultancy firms are now required to meet key performance indicators established by contracting entities and overseen by the CSA.
Joekai said the shift in focus from mere employment extension to tangible results is pivotal in reshaping the consultancy landscape within the government.
According to the CSA Director, the new administration has embarked on such a pivotal course of action, to address what he called a "systemic corruption issue and fortify the government's institutional capacity, evidenced by the crafting of comprehensive policy guidelines to manage consultancies across government effectively.
"These policy guidelines were meticulously developed to ensure value for money and stringent performance accountability for consultants hired," Joekai averred.
As part of the reform measures, the CSA has proposed allocating a US Two million Dollars cap on consultancy expenditure in the 2024 fiscal year.
This measure, according to Joekai, will lead to a cost-saving of US$4.1 million, thereby curbing excess and rooting out corruption that plagued the consultancy landscape under the Weah administration.
He let out that by instituting this fiscal discipline and accountability mechanism, the government will safeguard public resources and pave the way for genuine progress and development initiatives to flourish.
Joekai maintained that the overall goal is geared at optimizing the utilization of consultancy resources, maximizing value for money, and ultimately bolstering the government's objectives.
"Before this initiative, these resources were frequently misapplied on extending employment contracts that failed to substantially contribute to spending entities' operational efficiency or effectiveness," Joekai added.
"Just within the last fiscal year alone, the Government of President George Manneh Weah misapplied a staggering US$6.1 million on so-called consultancy services tha yielded negligible, if any, tangible results results. In other words, consultancy resources were wasted, misapplied, and unaccounted for."
He stressed that the repercussions of such negligence were starkly evident in the financial losses incurred by the government.
Furthermore, Joekai noted that the newly established policy guidelines framework development by the CSA, a competitive framework has been instituted to level the playing field for all spending entities seeking consultancy services.
Also at the launch, ECOWAS Representative in Liberia, Josephine Nkrumah said the private sector is the engine of growth and civil servants are power to that engine.
According to Madam Nkrumah, Civil Servants play a key role in the realization of Liberia's growth and development, as such she recognized the need to fully implement said policy guide since consults are conduits for capacity building.
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The ECOWAS Representative to Liberia also wants consultant service to be embraced in Liberia and added that the efforts of other administrations towards strengthening the sector must be recognized.
Madam Nkrumah further pledged ECOWAS affirmation to remain committed to Liberia's development agendas
At the same time, Lofa County Representative, who represented the House of Representatives at the launch, Siapha Momo Kpoto has called for the establishment of the Civil Service Commission.
Representative Kpoto said the establishment of the commission will make that body independent so that those in the sector will be independent of political party affiliation.
If said commission in in full swing, Kpoto believed the recruitment process of Civil Servants would be independently done, void of political interests.
Representative Kpoto then promised to work with other colleagues at the National Legislature, to ensure that said Legislaton is made possible.
Meanwhile, Kpoto emphasized the important role civil servants play in government and other sacrifices made, adding, that without them, there would be no government.
