Africa-Press – Liberia. The Civil Service Agency (CSA) of Liberia has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting and uplifting the nation’s healthcare professionals, as the country celebrated the official launch of the Monrovia Study Center of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
Delivering the keynote address at the colorful ceremony held at Monrovia City Hall, CSA Director General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr. described the launch as a historic milestone for Liberia’s healthcare and human capital development.
He pledged that the CSA will continue to play a leading role in ensuring that pharmacists and other healthcare workers are fully integrated, legally protected, and fairly compensated under Liberia’s civil service framework.
“We are not observers—we are partners in this transformation,” Dr. Joekai declared. “The CSA is committed to ensuring that every healthcare professional is protected by law, compensated by right, and elevated by merit.”
The Study Center, the first of its kind in Liberia, is part of a broader regional framework aimed at promoting specialized pharmacy education and practice across West Africa. It comes more than 30 years after the establishment of the WAPCP and nearly five decades after Monrovia hosted the foundational summit of the West African Pharmaceutical Federation in 1976.
Speaking with a sense of national pride and historical continuity, Dr. Joekai described the launch as the realization of a long-held vision rooted in Liberia’s early leadership in pharmaceutical cooperation in West Africa.
“Today, that tree has borne fruit,” he said. “We are launching Liberia’s own WAPCP Study Center—here in Monrovia, here on Liberian soil. And we are not just participants—we are leaders.”
The event was held under the theme: “Strengthening Healthcare through Specialized Pharmacy Practice: Launching a New Era of Postgraduate Pharmacy in Liberia.” It brought together senior government officials, pharmacy professionals, regional representatives, and educators including Prof. Dr. Hasipha C. Tarpeh, President of WAPCP; Asst. Dr. Joshua T. Peters, Jr., Liberia’s Chief Pharmacist; Asst. Prof. Jah Cisco Weah, Acting Chair of WAPCP Liberia Chapter; and other dignitaries from the health and academic sectors.
Dr. Joekai highlighted several recent reforms implemented under the Boakai administration that demonstrate the government’s commitment to improving conditions for Liberia’s healthcare workforce.
“In less than two years, the Boakai administration has said ‘enough is enough’—not the July 17th version,” he quipped, referencing the recent protest slogan. “We’ve integrated pharmacists, intern doctors, and over 600 healthcare volunteers into the national payroll.”
He further noted that the administration introduced a nationwide salary top-up program targeting essential professionals including health workers, teachers, security personnel, and agricultural technicians.
“We’re not just counting numbers—we’re restoring dignity to the healthcare workforce,” he said. “That’s what justice looks like. That’s what leadership feels like. And that’s what transformation is all about.”
As the head of CSA, Joekai also emphasized Liberia’s leadership role in advancing healthcare service reform continentally. He serves as the inaugural chair of the Health and Public Service Network of Africa (HaPSNA)—a pan-African platform focused on integrating healthcare professionals into formal civil service structures.
“When we lead with purpose, others follow with hope,” he stated. “We are proud to carry Liberia’s flag forward in that effort.”
Dr. Joekai reserved special praise for pharmacists, calling them the “unsung heroes” of the healthcare system.
“You are not just healthcare providers—you are protectors, researchers, innovators, and healers,” he said. “You are the critical link between diagnosis and recovery. With the launch of this Study Center, you now have the tools to go further, climb higher, and serve better.”
He described the center as more than an academic institution, calling it “a launchpad… a sanctuary of knowledge, a crucible of excellence, and a fortress of progress.”
Dr. Joekai also tied the Study Center’s launch to Liberia’s growing profile on the regional and global stage. He noted that Liberia’s presidency of WAPCP and its recent election to the United Nations Security Council are part of a broader reawakening under the Boakai-led government.
“At ECOWAS and the African Union, we are no longer a footnote—we are a force,” he said. “We are no longer waiting for the world to validate us. We are showing the world who we are.”
He paid tribute to Health Minister Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, calling her “a true daughter of Liberia and a shining example of servant leadership.”
As he concluded, Dr. Joekai encouraged young pharmacists and healthcare professionals to seize the opportunity before them and help lead Liberia into a new era.
“To every young pharmacist listening today—this is your time. The story does not end with us. It begins with you,” he said. “We may have been forgotten once. But never again. We are Liberia. We are rising. We are ready.”
He extended heartfelt appreciation to the event organizers, healthcare workers, academic leaders, and his family, particularly his wife and sons, whom he warmly called “my boss, Mrs. Joekai and the boys.”
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