-For Civil Servants
BY SHALLON S. GONLOR | shallonsgonlor@gmail.com
NIMBA COUNTY, Liberia — Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung announced Tuesday that the Boakai-Koung administration plans to increase salaries for civil servants across all ministries, agencies, and public institutions.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. has directed Civil Service Agency Director-General Josiah F. Joekai Jr. to immediately begin the salary review process, Koung said. Speaking as special guest of honor at the first county-based Public Service Day observance in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, Koung praised public servants for their dedication to national development despite resource constraints and limited government revenue.
“This government recognizes that you are the engine of the state,” Koung told the gathering of government officials, traditional leaders, and civil servants. “Improving your welfare is not a favor, it is a duty. A motivated public workforce is the foundation for better service delivery, accountability, and the development we all want for Liberia.”
The salary adjustment forms part of the administration’s broader agenda to improve incentives, boost morale, retain talent, and strengthen the public workforce’s capacity, Koung said. The announcement drew applause from the crowd, with civil servants describing the move as timely amid rising living costs. Labor advocates have long argued that competitive salaries are essential to reducing brain drain and improving public sector performance.
Delivering his keynote address under the theme “Enhancing Public Sector Institutions and Empowering Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships,” Koung said investing in people is central to achieving Liberia’s development goals, including universal access to water and sanitation by 2063 under the African Union Agenda 2063. Koung described public servants as the pillars of public institutions and the bridge through which government delivers services to citizens.
“Behind every functioning school, every health center, every road project, every public utility, and every community development initiative, there are public servants whose labor is often unseen and whose sacrifices are rarely celebrated,” Koung said. “Today, we honor them.” The vice president said achieving universal access to water and safe sanitation by 2063 is fundamentally a governance challenge requiring collaboration between government, communities, civil society, the private sector, development partners, and citizens.
“I believe in the adage that says, ‘Water is life,'” Koung noted. “A child cannot learn without clean water, and a health facility cannot effectively serve patients without safe sanitation. When we invest in water and sanitation, we are investing in health, education, economic growth, human dignity, and national development.” Koung cautioned public servants to remember that public service demands placing citizens’ needs first and serving with integrity.
“A true public servant must understand that every decision made, every document processed, every project supervised, and every service delivered directly affects the lives of ordinary citizens,” Koung said.
He called on civil servants to renew their commitment to building a public service that is accountable, responsive, and guided by the principle that government exists for the people.
“This renewed commitment must translate into action at every level — from national ministries in Monrovia to local offices in the counties and districts,” Koung said. He urged citizens to hold the government accountable while partnering with it for national development.
Liberia’s Civil Service Agency officially launched Public Service Day 2026 in Sanniquellie, Nimba County — marking the first time the national observance is being hosted outside Monrovia. This year’s celebration is held under the theme: “Enhancing Public Sector Institutions and Empowering Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Achieve Universal Water Availability and Safe Sanitation by 2063.”
The theme ties directly to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Liberia’s own development priorities, spotlighting water and sanitation as foundations for public health, education, and economic growth.
The event has drawn government officials, civil servants, traditional leaders including chiefs and elders, development partners, and community stakeholders.
The 2026 Public Service Day proclaimed by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai — recognized the daily contributions of Liberia’s public workforce — the teachers, nurses, administrators, and frontline workers who keep government services running.
Providing a brief overview, Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Josiah F. Joekai, Jr., highlighted the dedicated service of public servants across the nation. He said the decision to host Public Service Day 2026 in Sanniquellie is a practical demonstration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.’s unwavering commitment to decentralization, inclusive governance, and bringing government closer to the people.
CSA Director-General Joekai stressed that the celebration reflects a growing recognition that national development must be felt by citizens in every county, every district, every town, and every community across Liberia. “This year’s celebration carries special significance as we gather in one of Liberia’s most historically important counties, Nimba” the CSA Boss stated.
According to the CSA Boss, beyond numbers, Nimba occupies a unique place in Liberia’s economic, political, and diplomatic history. The county’s rich iron ore deposits transformed Liberia into one of Africa’s leading mineral-exporting nations. He said the historic Sanniquellie Conference of 1959 brought together President William V.S. Tubman of Liberia, President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and President Ahmed Sékou Touré of Guinea in a landmark gathering that helped lay the foundation for the Organization of African Unity in 1963 — now the African Union.
Director-General Joekai stressed that it is therefore fitting that the historic county now hosts a celebration dedicated to honoring the men and women whose daily service sustains the nation. The CSA Director-General said the public service itself has a rich and distinguished history. The observance traces its origins to the first Pan-African Conference of Ministers responsible for public and civil service held in Tangier, Morocco, in June 1994.
At that conference, he said African ministers adopted a resolution proclaiming June 23 each year as African Public Service Day. The day was established to recognize the value and virtue of public service, promote professionalism and ethical conduct, strengthen governance systems, improve public administration, and celebrate the indispensable contributions of public servants to national development.
Over the decades, the observance has evolved into one of Africa’s most important governance platforms. It now fosters innovation, knowledge sharing, institutional learning, and citizen-centered service delivery across the continent. The significance of the day was further elevated on December 20, 2002, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 57/277, officially proclaiming June 23 as United Nations Public Service Day.
Since then, countries around the world have joined in celebrating the dedication, sacrifice, and achievements of public servants whose work strengthens institutions, advances development, promotes peace and stability, and improves citizens’ lives. Liberia has observed Public Service Day annually to recognize the vital role civil servants play in building and sustaining prosperous, democratic, and accountable societies.
As DG Joekai noted, the day remains important because it reminds Liberians that effective governance, sustainable development, and national transformation are only possible through competent institutions and dedicated public servants.
