By: Samuel B. Johnson
The Civil Service Agency (CSA) has categorically denied a recent report by FrontPage Africa, titled "CSA vs MFDP: Who's Telling the Truth?" published on October 9, 2025. The report claimed that the CSA removed 5,536 employees and achieved $1.8 million in savings, figures that the CSA says are taken out of context and inconsistent with its 2024 Annual Report.
According to the CSA, the actual numbers are more comprehensive. In 2024, the Agency removed 6,846 ghost workers from the national payroll, generating $8.2 million in savings. This reform covered three categories of removals: consultants, regular employees, and cases detected through mobile-money fraud prevention.
*IMF and MFDP's
The CSA clarified that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) did not conduct any payroll audit or cleanup exercise in Liberia. The IMF's reference to 3,775 removals and $4.4 million in savings was derived from CSA-provided data following a verification exercise of 6,387 unverified employees.
The CSA's actions were based on a 2021 National Payroll Compliance Audit Report by the General Auditing Commission (GAC), which recommended that salaries of unverified employees be blocked pending verification. The CSA and MFDP issued a Joint Circular Memorandum in September 2024, temporarily blocking 6,387 unverified individuals, and subsequently removed 3,775 fictitious names.
The CSA assures the public and international partners that the government's payroll reform remains transparent, data-driven, and collaborative. The Agency remains committed to executing President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.'s mandate for an efficient, accountable, and professional public service.
The CSA notes that FrontPage Africa did not contact the Agency for comment or clarification before publishing the report, and urges the public to disregard the misleading article and remain confident in the integrity and consistency of the ongoing payroll reform.
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