Conflicting figures in two official documents have exposed a significant discrepancy in Liberia’s reported public-sector payroll clean-up for 2024, raising concerns about transparency at a time when the government is under IMF scrutiny.
The Civil Service Agency’s (CSA) 2024 Annual Report states that Director-General Josiah Joekai inherited a civil service of 67,746 employees and trimmed the payroll to 60,900 by December 2024 — a reduction of roughly 6,846 posts. The CSA report says that the payroll clean-up generated about US$8.2 million in savings last year.
However, in Liberia’s submission to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — part of the staff reports for the first review under the Extended Credit Facility arrangement published Feb. 19, 2025 — the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) reported materially different results.
According to the IMF document, the government removed 3,775 names from the payroll in 2024, yielding estimated savings of just US$500,000.
The divergence between the CSA’s annual report and the figures reported by the finance ministry to the IMF represents a substantial gap both in headcount and in fiscal impact. Analysts say such inconsistencies undermine confidence in reported fiscal consolidation measures and complicate oversight of public wage spending — a central element of macroeconomic stabilization programs supported by the IMF.
Policy implications and next steps
Reconciliation needed: Observers and budget experts call for an immediate reconciliation of the two sets of figures to explain the nearly twofold difference in names removed and the more than tenfold difference in stated savings.
Audit and verification: International partners and civil society have urged an independent audit of the 2024 payroll-cleanup exercise, including methodology for identifying “ghost” names, calculation of baseline payroll costs, and the timing of removals and savings recognition.
The discrepancies could be raised in future program reviews. Accurate payroll and wage data are essential for Liberia’s fiscal planning and for the continued confidence of creditors and donors.
