-As Civil Service Boss Chairs New Organization
By Bill K. Jarkloh
Liberia continues to be regionally relevant as it was when it helped to originate the Organization of African Unity, now African Union. The relevance of the country is evident by the establishment of a new regional organization in Monrovia, the Health and Public Service Network of Africa (HaPSNA), established by through the initiative spearheaded by the Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), the Honorable, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai who by no mistake becomes the first chairman of the organization signed and adopted by four countries mainly from the Mano River Union.
Signing the new regional organization was witnessed by a proxy of President Joseph N. Boakai, Snr., Liberia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto. and a record crowd of national and regional iconic figures including Her Excellency, Josephine Nkrumah, Country Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Dr. Haileyesus Getahun, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Development Partnership for Africa (HeDP AC). This historic milestone achievement by Liberia could not have been possible without the innovation of the Honorable Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), leader of the reforms under the Unity Party Government headed by His Excellency, President Joseph N. Boakai.
Ø Origination Pre-organizational Moves
Dr. Joekai’s first move was to streamline the Liberian civil service through the CSA’s flagship project, the employees’ status regularization Project (ESRP) which removed ghost names, from government, correct discrepancies in the civil service and cataloged or categorized the workforce on the basis of the employees’ ages, qualification and other factors that were prone to induce efficiency, effectiveness and productivity on the job. To ensure that the qualities mentioned obtained in the governance process, the CSA under his stewardship set reinstitute the appeals Board of the CSA which is to assure justice to civil servants with grievances, for instance, wrongful dismissal amongst others, and also digitized the civil service testing system to make sure that square pegs are put in square holes and round pegs in round holes.
Ultimate, data generated from the civil service through these initiatives were shared regionally, and his colleagues in Central Africa, Burkina Faso, la Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea agreed that similar discrepancies he discovered in Liberia were the similar problems they were faced with in their respective countries thereby agreeing to have a conference in Monrovia amongst them, a conference that resulted to the formation of the Health and Public Service Network of Africa, HaPSNA for short, which is significantly reminiscent of the formation of the organization of African Unity during the tubmanic regime, When President William V. S. Tubman and Kwame Nkrumah met in Sanniquellie to start the formation of the mother organization of the African Union.
Objectives of the New Platform
Like the OAU which was organized to deal with governance problems, the purpose of the Health and Public Service Network is to deal with common problems faced by public institutions in West and Central Africa. Framework document of HaPSNA, otherwise referred to as the ‘Monrovia Declaration’ establishing the new organization provides for six objectives – to strengthen health and public sector efficiency and workforce governance; to develop sustainable financing models for health and public workforce development; to establish a coordinated platform for knowledge exchange and policy harmonization; to enhance training, professional development, and leadership capacity in the public sector with emphasis on the human health workforce; to utilize digital tools for health and public service workforce monitoring, evaluation and decision making as well as to promote e-governance in health and public workforce; to address the persistent challenges faced by public sector institutions which include limited financial resources, outdated infrastructure and institutional efficiencies that hinder the effective delivery of public services particularly in the health sector in Burkina Faso, la Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the preamble of the regional network document declaring the establishment of HaPSNA.
Consequently, representatives of the four countries that attended the Monrovia Conference affixed their signatures to the framework document on behalf of their respective countries. The Director General of Public Health for Burkina Faso, Mr. Moctar Siedou Ganama, signed for his country; Dr. Brahima, Technical Advisor to the Ministry of State Cote d’Ivoire signed for his country; Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Director General of the Civil Service Agency signed for Liberia; and Professor Dr. Charles Edward Lahai Senessie, Deputy Minister of the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health Signed for his country.
Ø HaPSNA aligns with global institutions
Apparently, convinced that member countries shared similar governance problems common to the civil and public service institutions, the signatory countries agreed to and attended the Regional Public Service Leadership Conference on Human Health Workforce Development (March 4-7), with the theme, “Advancing Human Health Workforce through Public Service Excellence: Building Resilient and Innovative Institutions for Sustainable Development” where the crafted details for the new organization.
In his own words, Director-General Joekai says public service institutions in West and Central Africa have common Challenges ranging from limited financial and human resources, outdated infrastructures to governance inefficiencies. These obstacles, Dr. Joekai believes, hinder the ability of our institutions to deliver high quality services to the citizens, and added that delegate to the conference would leverage collective expertise to identify best practices, establish, establish innovative solutions and develop actionable frameworks for reform that will align with global governance principles that draw insights from such institutions as the international civil service commission (ICSC), and the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean.
Dr. Joekai was also convinced that that the new initiative resonates with the broader aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda (SDG) # 8 which is about decent work and economic growth, and SDG #3 which aspired to ensure health and well-being of all amongst others.
The CSA boss was quick to disclose that through the South-South partnership, HeDPAC invested US$50,000 that made the conference successful. HeDPAC Executive Director Haileyessus Getahun, confirmed the assertion. in his remarks, warmly welcomed the inauguration of the Network, and expressed belief that “This landmark gathering marks a crucial step towards addressing the systemic and structural challenges that hinders the optimization of health workforce management through south-south partnership.
Getahun, further stated, “The Network heralds a transformative and collaborative initiative between civil service agencies and Ministries of Health to enhance workforce efficiency, accountability, and sustainability by confronting present challenges including ghost workers, absenteeism and suboptimal performance.” Besides, Dr. Getahum indicates that through collaboration and knowledge sharing, the network aspires to strengthen health workforce and capacity and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.
So the four-day conference was held and professionals and experts that serve on the panel of experts propounded and contributed ideas used to coin the framework declaring the Network now called Health and Public Service Network of Africa Framework. The documented was reviewed, validated, signed and adopted by representatives of the governments of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and recognizing the urgency of workforce reform in these countries, the four signatory-countries have committed to a collaborative, innovative and result-driven approach to strengthen governance, optimizing workforce performance and fostering sustainable development.
Ø Lesson Learned
The lesson learned here is that Africa can stand on its own, and that Liberia can undertake initiatives without looking up to traditional donors such as USAID and UN agencies and their likes. As a matter of fact this landmark achievement was bagged by Liberia in collaboration with other countries importantly at a time the United States of America has withdrawn support to Africa and other institutions. It was made possible by south-south collaboration without crying to western countries or traditional donor-institutions and countries for support. Unlike this initiative, Liberian institutions usually look up to traditional donors to undertake initiatives, but the lesson here is that Liberia is capable of mobilizing internal revenue to support its programs just as African institutions are capable of supporting African initiatives provided that they muster the courage to do so.
HeDPAC which supported the establishment of the HaPSNA is a new initiative to strengthen South-South health cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean. According to the World Health Organization, the initiative stems from the recognition that the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic fell most heavily on developing countries, especially on women and children. The pandemic led to the reversal of health gains, including maternal mortality.
Consequently, HeDPAC has focused on strengthening the health workforce in the two regions, and on sharing innovative solutions in primary health care, with a special emphasis on climate resilience, and maternal and child health, and also promoting technology transfer for pharmaceutical manufacturing, building regulatory capacity, and enhancing universal health coverage, which are core HeDPAC strategies. The launch of the HaPSNA sends the message that herald a turning point to African sufficiency and interdependence as well as should make the beginning harnessing local resources to support local initiatives.
Ø Conclusion
As it is always said, the problem with backwardness in our society is contingent on our refusal to take initiative or think outside the box. Many people relax in governance by their failures to improve the inherent wrongs that were left by their predecessors basically because of their selfish political interest. As a result the country continues to face challenges that have retarded its growth in development. However, the Boakai-led regime, criticized at some fronts though, has engaged to improve the country. One of those who is appointed in government is the Civil Service Director General Josiah Joekai, who since his appointment to the institution, has demonstrated not only the political will for reform, but has shown a degree of professionalism by setting the stage for the development of the Liberian civil service.
The efforts by Dr. Joekai at professionalizing the workforce buttressed by his astute deputies has paid off with the establishment of this regional institution, the Health and Public Service Network of Africa. The Network with the articulated objectives to deal with common problems facing regional civil service and public institutions is a laudable achievement that should not be swept under the carpet, but should be celebrated as one that originated from a Liberian professional and bought by his peers in the region. The Network indeed, when propagated and managed based on its objectives will engender professional workforce, infrastructural modernization, growth and development.
Besides, the establishment has shown that Africa should not sit supinely and look up to Western donor countries and institutions, but should begin to take initiative under south-south arrangement and support which should erase the illusion that Africa cannot stand on its own. It is time for Africa to be cognizant of the fact that the resources that they look for from the West have their bases here, considering that most of the money they seek come from the natural and mineral resources exported from here by the neocolonialists in the name of investments. This is why I say hats off to the originators of the HaPSNA, and extend felicitations to Honorable Joekai in particular, the people of Liberia and other countries such as Burkina Faso, la Cote d’Iviore and Sierra Leone for the dawning of this then day in civil service in Africa.
About the Author: Bill K. Jarkloh is a Communication Consultant of the Civil Service Agency. He hold a Bachelor Degree in Communication and Sociology, a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership from the Kofi Anan Institute for Conflict Transformation; a student at the same institution who also earned a host of other certificates in Print Journalism and an three time award of the Press Union of Liberia as feature writer. He also earned Online Teaching from the University of Liberia. An Adjunct Instructor of English at the University of Liberia, Bill has years of experience in communication and served as media trainer with the Liberia Media Center (LMC). He was an Executive Officer at the Embassy of Ghana accredited in Monrovia, and a fellow of the International Visitors’ Program of the Department of State of the United States of America.
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