By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor
The Liberian government will retire approximately 2,718 civil servants at the end of 2026 as part of ongoing efforts to streamline the public sector workforce and address longstanding pension-related challenges, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) has announced.
Speaking Tuesday at the Ministry of Information, CSA Director-General Josiah F. Joekai disclosed the outcome of a nationwide data collection and pre-retirement counseling exercise conducted jointly by the CSA and the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP).
The exercise, carried out across Liberia’s 15 counties and 67 government spending entities, identified thousands of public employees eligible for retirement and sought to ensure a smoother transition from active service to pension enrollment.
According to Dr. Joekai, a total of 2,835 individuals were captured during the exercise. The figure includes 2,718 civil servants expected to retire on December 31, 2026, as well as 117 former government employees who retired in previous years but are still awaiting pension benefits.
“The retirement exercise was designed to verify employment records, update personal information, provide counseling services and facilitate pension enrollment,” Joekai said.
He explained that the employees scheduled for retirement will begin receiving monthly pension payments in January 2027, provided they successfully complete NASSCORP’s verification and enrollment requirements.
The findings reveal a significant gender disparity among those due for retirement. Of the 2,718 employees identified, 2,125 are men, representing 78.2 percent of the total, while 593 are women, accounting for 21.8 percent.
The Ministry of Education recorded the highest number of retirees, with 1,493 employees expected to leave service next year. The Ministry of Health follows with 300 retirees, while the Ministry of Local Government accounts for 297.
Together, the three institutions represent nearly 77 percent of the total retirement population identified through the nationwide assessment.
Dr. Joekai said the CSA and NASSCORP are working to ensure the retirement process proceeds efficiently and without the delays that have historically affected pension beneficiaries.
He noted that the exercise also uncovered 117 unresolved pension cases involving civil servants who retired between 2020 and 2024 but have yet to receive monthly retirement benefits.
The outstanding cases include 92 men and 25 women from 19 government institutions. The Ministry of Education accounts for the largest portion of the unresolved cases with 42 retirees, followed by the Ministry of Local Government with 33 and the Ministry of Health with 19.
According to Joekai, the CSA has begun compiling and forwarding the required documentation to NASSCORP to facilitate verification and processing of those claims.
The CSA Director-General pointed to progress made through previous retirement interventions as evidence that the collaboration between the CSA and NASSCORP is yielding positive results.
He referenced a similar exercise conducted in 2024 that identified 294 former civil servants who had retired between 2018 and 2023 without receiving pension benefits. All 294 cases were subsequently processed, and those beneficiaries are now receiving their monthly pension payments, he said.
In addition to pension benefits, Joekai announced that eligible retirees will receive a one-time government retirement package, commonly referred to as a “retirement handshake.” However, he did not disclose the amount to be paid.
Recognizing that some eligible workers were unable to participate in the initial nationwide exercise, the government has extended the retirement data-capture and documentation process until November 30.
Civil servants captured during the extension period are expected to begin receiving their pensions in February 2027. Their January pension entitlement, however, will be paid retroactively once NASSCORP completes all verification and enrollment procedures.
Joekai urged eligible employees who have not yet participated in the process to submit the necessary documents before the deadline. He also called on human resource officers across government institutions to assist affected workers in completing the required procedures.
The CSA boss said the Boakai administration has prioritized reforms aimed at resolving persistent retirement and pension challenges since taking office in January 2024.
According to him, the reforms seek to improve personnel record management, strengthen institutional coordination, expedite pension processing and ensure that workers are adequately prepared for retirement.
“Retirement should be a period of dignity and reasonable financial security,” Joekai stated.
He emphasized that the CSA will continue collaborating with NASSCORP and other government entities to strengthen record-keeping systems, clear pension backlogs and enhance retirement planning across the public sector.
Joekai also underscored the importance of succession planning, particularly in ministries and agencies with large numbers of impending retirees, warning that failure to prepare replacements could affect institutional memory and service delivery.
He described the latest nationwide exercise as a significant step toward creating a more predictable, transparent and efficient retirement system for Liberia’s civil servants, while stressing that the commencement of pension payments remains subject to NASSCORP’s final verification and enrollment processes.
