Africa-Press – Liberia. The Government of Liberia in its quest to create life-changing opportunities for public servants across all Ministries and Agencies to acquire needed items and materials by a minimal percentage deduction of their monthly salaries within a specified period, on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, reintroduced the Legal Power of Attorney (LPA) Scheme which has been inactive for a very long time.
According to information made available to the media, the re-introduction which is at a piloted phase for the period of Six (6) months will initially be made available to Civil Servants within three entities – namely, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA); Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP); and Civil Service Agency (CSA) and based on the success of the outcome within the specified period, the Scheme will be rolled out to all Ministries and Agencies of Government.
To ensure its success during this this phase, the Government has signed an agreement with the Guaranty Trust Bank and the EcoBank and some vendors including CEMENCO Inc., City Builders, J-Mart and Hadid Electronics, respectively.
Speaking at the Launch, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. disclosed that President George Manneh Weah has overwhelmingly given his unflinching acquiesce and blessings to the scheme once it is meant to bring relief to civil servants and Liberians in general.
Minister Tweah who commended the Banks and Vendors for believing in the Scheme even at this formative phase, profoundly urged financial Institutions especially the banks to be more proactive by investing into mutually advantageous business opportunities. Minister Tweah asserted that if this country is to be economically viable, commercial institutions need to be much more proactive in attracting clients.
For his part, the Dean of Cabinet and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah, who couldn’t hold back his profound delight, stated that it has been his recent thought for staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Minister Kemayah, Civil Servants being the bedrock of government, it is only befitting and needful to create opportunities that would transform their livelihood and this and more are the intent of President George Manneh Weah, Minister Kemayah emphasized.
The Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) and one of the actors of the initiative who spoke on the road map of the scheme, assured Civil Servants as well as expressed the Technical Committee’s confidence that the piloted phase will obviously yield expectant results based on the levels of commitment and technical workings put in the process by each stakeholder.
The Re-introduction birthed from the experience of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Commissioner General Thomas Doe Nah catalogued as he spoke, the success stories of the Scheme being carried out at LRA. Commissioner-General Doe-Nah said, if the lives of Liberians are to be transformed, these are avenues that are worth considering.
Also speaking, the Comptroller and Accountant General, Janga Kowo assured vendors and the banks that the Government is committed to paying monthly salaries regularly and in time; hence there shouldn’t be any fear in the process.
The Civil Servant Association’s President Mulbah Johnson, thrilled by the initiative, thanked the Government and other stakeholders, adding that indeed, this is a life-changing initiative for Civil Servants of Liberia.
Commenting respectively, representatives of the banks and vendors expressed their satisfaction of aiding the Government in the process of transforming the lives of its Civil Servants as well as pledging their commitment to the process.
The piloted scheme is expected to run for the period of six (6) months.
The LPA scheme is a great fiscal policy that will stimulate the economy. It will increase consumption spending, increase the production of goods and services, increase inventory turnover as vendors can now import and/or export products more frequently. This will also improve domestic revenue as consumers and businesses will pay sales, GST, excise, etc taxes.
Another added benefit to this scheme is that it is going to spur infrastructure development as civil servants will now easily increase investment in owning and constructing real properties, including residential and commercial housing. As this trend strengthens, the manufacturing sector will be stimulated as more cement, nails, zinc, etc are produced locally or imported, which will also reduce unemployment as more manufacturing workers are demanded by firms, resulting from the demands for manufacturing products.
