In a significant milestone move, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., President of Liberia, on Thursday, July 4, officially launched the Employee Status Regularization Program (ESRP). He at the same time unveiled a team of highly qualified consultants at a special press briefing held at the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT).

The ESRP, a leading program in the civil service reform effort of the Boakai Administration, aims at enhancing employment and payroll transparency and accountability within the Government.

In his launching remarks, President Boakai emphasized that the program represents a crucial step towards creating a more efficient, transparent, and accountable civil service under the Government's ARREST Agenda which he noted was rooted in principles of transparency and accountability.

The ESRP involves a comprehensive employee headcount and physical verification exercise to identify and remove ghost names, double dippers, and unqualified individuals from the government's payroll system. The initiative also seeks to improve the wages of legitimate civil servants and create opportunities for qualified professionals to deliver efficient and effective services.

During the press briefing, President Boakai highlighted the ESRP's progress, pointing out that it has already covered 26 out of the 103 government Spending Entities.

The initiative has identified numerous discrepancies in the government's payroll system, including ghost names, double dippers, unqualified and inefficient employees, duplicate names, and National Identification Numbers (NIN) on the payroll, amounting to significant financial losses for the government.

The President stressed that addressing these discrepancies is essential to ensuring the accuracy and transparency of the payroll system, minimizing waste and abuse of government resources, and effectively utilizing public resources.

The ESRP is set to achieve three key deliverables over the course of three months, from July to September 2024, including an updated and accurate payroll system free of ghost names and incomplete Personnel Action Notices, a streamlined process for ongoing payroll data management and verification, and a depoliticized, professional workforce maintaining payroll integrity.

In addition to the ESRP, President Boakai announced the recruitment of 97 highly qualified professionals and experts through a rigorous vetting process consistent with the National Consultancy Policy Guidelines, which was launched by President Boakai earlier this year.

These consultants, including legal, human resource, and management experts, have been brought on board to support the Government's initiatives and contribute to bridging the human resource and institutional capacity gaps in the country.

The President expressed his gratitude to the Civil Service Agency for spearheading the ESRP and the recruitment of the consultants, emphasizing the significance of these initiatives in bringing integrity to the national payroll system, saving the Government millions and improving the country's workforce.

The launch of the Employee Status Regularization Program and the recruitment of highly qualified consultants reflect the Government's commitment to transparency, accountability, and the efficient management of public resources, marking a pivotal moment in Liberia's journey toward a more productive and effective civil service.