Published: November 20, 2024
MONROVIA — Minister of Finance and Development Planning Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan announced Tuesday that 28,200 government employees, representing 45% of the public workforce, will benefit from salary increases under the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, starting in January.
Ngafuan revealed that the initiative follows President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s directive authorizing more than $16 million to address remuneration concerns in the public sector. This move is part of a broader multi-year effort aimed at improving pay conditions for government employees. Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism in Monrovia, Ngafuan explained that the funds will ensure that no central government employee earns less than the $150 monthly minimum wage mandated by the Decent Work Act of 2015.
The FY2025 draft budget, currently under review by the 55th Legislature, totals $851.8 million, an increase of $112.9 million or 15.3% over the 2024 budget. Among its priorities are salary adjustments for classroom teachers, health workers, and Liberia National Police officers.
He stated that nearly $3 million will go toward adjusting salaries for 200,000 teachers with C-Certificates, B-Certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees, ensuring their pay aligns with their qualifications. In the health sector, specialist doctors are set to receive an additional $225 per month to bring their salaries in line with their professional grades. Nurses, midwives, and physician assistants will receive monthly top-ups of $50, while other health workers will see increases ranging from $25 to $40, depending on their roles.
The minister also noted that security personnel, including soldiers from the Armed Forces of Liberia, Executive Protection Service officers, and police officers, along with agricultural extension workers, will benefit from monthly salary top-ups ranging from $30 to $40. Ngafuan stressed that, in total, these adjustments will positively impact 28,200 government workers.
Addressing the long-standing issue of volunteer workers in the Ministries of Health and Education, Ngafuan announced that $2.6 million has been allocated to begin a multi-year process of providing fair remuneration for these workers following a thorough vetting process.
The minister also unveiled plans for the government’s first-ever implementation of the National Security Act of 2015, which mandates insurance coverage for all active-duty police officers. Ngafuan stated that more than 5,000 Liberia National Police officers will receive fully-funded insurance coverage beginning in January 2025. He emphasized that this initiative aims to provide additional support to officers working under challenging conditions to ensure the country’s collective security.
Discussion about this post