The Civil Service Agency's (CSA) nationwide credentials verification and audit exercise has entered a decisive phase with its commencement at the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), drawing strong endorsement from sector leadership and reinforcing the government's broader public sector reform agenda.
Speaking Thursday during a visit by CSA Director-General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr., and his technical team, Minister of Mines and Energy R. Matenokay Tingban described the process as a long-overdue intervention aimed at restoring professionalism, fairness, and efficiency within Liberia's civil service.
"This is not just about the record," Minister Tingban said. "Many people are misplaced or underpaid because we put square pegs in round holes. This system is here to correct that problem and restore dignity to government service."
The credentials verification initiative forms part of the CSA's wider effort to modernize Liberia's public workforce by ensuring that civil servants are properly classified, appropriately placed, and fairly compensated based on verified academic qualifications and professional experience.
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Unlike previous audits that focused largely on attendance and payroll validation--often resulting in suspensions or sanctions--Dr. Joekai emphasized that the current exercise is fundamentally developmental rather than punitive.
"This process carefully considers how employees entered the system and whether their current positions align with their qualifications and official records," Dr. Joekai explained. "Our goal is not to target anyone, but to ensure everyone is in the right place and properly recognized for their contributions."
He added that the audit will help the government identify both strengths and gaps within its workforce, providing reliable data to guide decisions on training, redeployment, promotions, and compensation.
Policy experts say the significance of the CSA's credentials verification lies in its potential to generate an accurate human resource profile across government institutions--something Liberia has historically lacked. For years, the civil service has been challenged by misclassification, skills mismatches, and salary distortions, which have undermined productivity and morale.
By verifying credentials and aligning roles with qualifications, the government can better determine where technical capacity exists, where it is lacking, and how best to deploy limited human resources. This is especially critical for technical ministries such as Mines and Energy, which play a central role in revenue generation, natural resource governance, and economic growth.
Minister Tingban, accompanied by Deputy Minister for Administration Eudora Blay-Pritchard and Assistant Ministers Cooper Paasewe and Emmanuel Vaye, urged the CSA to ensure that the exercise leads to tangible outcomes, particularly the correction of long-standing salary and placement inequities.
"Our staff work under difficult conditions, yet they remain committed," Tingban said. "If this process is done right, it will motivate employees and strengthen the institution as a whole."
Liberia's credential verification efforts date back to post-war civil service reforms in the mid-2000s, when successive governments sought to clean up bloated payrolls, eliminate "ghost workers," and restore fiscal discipline. Early exercises, while effective in reducing payroll fraud, were often criticized for focusing narrowly on attendance and headcounts, with little attention paid to qualifications, skills, or career development.
Over time, this approach left deeper structural problems unresolved, including widespread misplacement of personnel and inconsistent pay scales. The current CSA-led credentials audit marks a shift from basic payroll control to professionalization and workforce optimization--aligning Liberia's civil service reforms with international best practices.
Dr. Joekai said the agency is committed to transparency and collaboration throughout the process, including public reporting of findings.
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"We have nothing to hide," he said. "This initiative is about professionalizing Liberia's civil service and ensuring fairness, accountability, and proper recognition for all government employees."
Governance experts view the exercise as a foundational step toward improving public sector performance and service delivery. By addressing systemic weaknesses in human resource management, the government can strengthen institutional capacity, reduce inefficiencies, and build a merit-based civil service capable of implementing national development priorities.
As the CSA continues its rollout across ministries, agencies, and commissions, the process is expected to generate critical insights into Liberia's public workforce--highlighting both its untapped potential and areas requiring reform.
The credentials verification exercise represents more than an audit, CSA has often said, as it is a strategic opportunity to realign people, skills, and institutions in support of effective governance and sustainable development.
