Published: May 26, 2026
MONROVIA — Civil Service Agency Director-General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr. is set to convene the 3rd High-Level Continental Meeting on Strengthening Public Service and Health Workforce Development in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from June 1-2, 2026, as African leaders intensify efforts to reform governance systems and strengthen community health programs across the continent.
Dr. Joekai, who currently serves as chairman of the Health and Public Service Network of Africa (HaPSNA), will preside over the continental gathering expected to bring together policymakers, Ministers of Health, heads of civil service institutions and technical experts from more than 15 African countries.
The Abidjan summit marks the third major continental engagement chaired by Dr. Joekai following the inaugural meeting held in Monrovia in March 2025 and the second consultative meeting hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, in June 2025.
The previous meetings assembled senior government officials and technical experts from West and Central Africa to address challenges surrounding health workforce development and the integration of certified Community Health Workers into national civil service systems.
HaPSNA serves as a continental collaborative platform focused on strengthening governance structures, improving public service performance and advancing the development of a competent and motivated health workforce across Africa.
The network is supported by the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean, a regional health development institution that partners with governments to promote universal health coverage, institutional strengthening and workforce development through South-South cooperation.
According to a dispatch, participating countries at the Abidjan meeting are expected to present progress reports and country experiences on integrating health workers into national civil service systems.
Central to the discussions will be the Community Health Program Maturity Framework — a policy and diagnostic instrument developed during previous continental engagements to help countries assess and sequence reforms in governance, financing, workforce management, service delivery and information systems.
Officials say the framework is intended to guide countries in strengthening public-sector health systems while improving accountability and workforce sustainability.
The meeting will also examine key governance and workforce development challenges affecting African countries, including institutional fragmentation, financing constraints, public-sector inefficiencies and disparities in institutional capacity.
Ahead of the summit, Dr. Joekai called on participating countries to renew their commitment to strengthening governance systems and building resilient health workforce structures capable of meeting the evolving needs of citizens across the continent.
“As chairman of HaPSNA and director-general of the Civil Service Agency of Liberia, I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to fostering strategic partnerships, professional excellence and transformative reforms across Africa’s public service and health sectors,” Dr. Joekai said.
The 2026 high-level meeting in Abidjan will be held under the theme: “Advancing Country-Led Pathways for Strengthening Community Health Programs Through Civil Service Systems.”
Dr. Joekai is currently serving the second year of his two-year tenure as chairman of HaPSNA.
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