By: Julius Konton
Liberia’s Civil Service Agency (CSA) has announced major reforms to the Government’s consultancy system, saying the restructuring has sharply reduced the number of government consultants and generated approximately US$4.7 million in savings while strengthening performance, accountability and professional standards across the public sector.
The disclosure was made Thursday, August 20, during a one-day engagement meeting organized by the CSA for consultants assigned to various Government Spending Entities (GSEs).
The meeting was designed to familiarize consultants with the Government of Liberia’s Centralized Consultancy Program, jointly managed by the Civil Service Agency and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).
Delivering special remarks at the gathering, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr., Director-General of the Civil Service Agency and Chairman of the Consultancy Program Steering Committee, said the reform followed a comprehensive review of Liberia’s previous consultancy arrangements.
According to Dr. Joekai, the government spent approximately US$6.1 million in 2023 servicing nearly 1,000 consultants, raising concerns over the sustainability, efficiency and value-for-money of the system.
Under the restructured framework introduced by the current administration, however, the centralized program has been reduced to fewer than 100 professional experts and specialists, according to the CSA.
The agency estimates that the reduction has produced savings of approximately US$4.7 million.
Dr. Joekai attributed the reforms to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.’s administration and said the government had sought to reduce unnecessary expenditure without compromising the technical expertise needed to deliver public services.
“We have restructured the entire Government of Liberia consultancy regime, reduced the number of consultants and the wage bill, and yet, we have increased productivity in public service,” Dr. Joekai said.
The CSA Director-General also issued a strong warning to consultants that continued government employment would increasingly depend on measurable performance.
He urged consultants to pay greater attention to performance indicators, professional development, continuous learning and the quality of services delivered to their respective institutions.
Dr. Joekai said consultants whose performance remains consistently below expectations should not expect their contracts to be renewed.
The position signals a broader shift toward performance-based public-sector management, in which government-funded technical positions are expected to demonstrate measurable value and results.
The consultants currently serve across 109 Government Spending Entities, according to the CSA, making coordination and oversight a significant component of the centralized framework.
The centralized consultancy system is intended to address longstanding concerns surrounding fragmented recruitment, overlapping assignments, inconsistent compensation and limited oversight of consultants working across government institutions.
Under the new framework, consultants are expected to operate within clearly defined procedures governing recruitment, classification, compensation, contracting, reporting and performance requirements.
Thursday’s engagement therefore served not only as an orientation exercise but also as a mechanism for aligning consultants with the government’s revised expectations.
Participants were briefed on the structure and administration of the Centralized Consultancy Program, the recruitment and selection process, contract preparation and execution, consultant classification and compensation, reporting obligations and other operational guidelines.
The consultancy reforms come as Liberia continues to grapple with the broader challenge of improving public-sector efficiency while managing limited fiscal resources.
Like many developing economies, Liberia has historically relied on consultants and externally recruited technical specialists to fill capacity gaps across government institutions, particularly in areas requiring specialized expertise.
However, excessive reliance on consultants can increase recurrent expenditure and create overlapping responsibilities when technical positions are not properly coordinated.
The CSA says the centralized approach is intended to ensure that government obtains specialized expertise where it is genuinely required while preventing unnecessary duplication and expenditure.
The reported reduction from nearly 1,000 consultants in 2023 to fewer than 100 under the current centralized program represents a reduction of roughly 90 percent in the number of consultants covered by the program, based on the figures provided by the agency.
Likewise, the reported US$4.7 million in savings represents a substantial share of the US$6.1 million previously spent in 2023 on nearly 1,000 consultants.
The Civil Service Agency said it remains committed to fully implementing the Centralized Consultancy Program as part of broader efforts to modernize Liberia’s public administration.
The agency said the program is designed to strengthen accountability, coordination, oversight and cost efficiency, while ensuring that professional experts deployed across government institutions are properly managed and evaluated.
For the consultants, the message from the CSA was clear: expertise remains valuable to government, but continued engagement must be justified by performance, professionalism and measurable contribution.
As Liberia seeks to improve public-service delivery and maximize the impact of scarce public resources, officials say the consultancy reforms are intended to ensure that every government-funded technical position contributes directly to national development priorities.
