Del Francis Wreh Archives

LIMPAC Donates Office Supplies and Equipment to Legislature Budget Office (LBO)

The Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center (LIMPAC), a policy Think Tank and capacity-building center within the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has presented a consignment of assorted office supplies and equipment to the Legislative Budget Office (LBO), the technical policy analysis arm at the Liberia National Legislature. The donation is geared towards strengthening the capacity and understanding of the staffers of the LBO about policy analysis on critical developmental reforms, including the formulation and performance analysis of the National Budget to support their recommendations to members of the Liberian Legislature for decision making, and to strengthen the overall public financial management reforms across government. The items presented include: computers, printers, photocopiers, projectors, internet modems, office furniture, and other assorted office supplies.

Del Francis Wreh, Executive Director – LIMPAC

Del Francis Wreh, LIMPAC Executive Director who presented the items on behalf of Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. who is also LIMPAC Board of Management Chairperson, noted that the LBO was created by Legislative enactment, modeled after the US Congressional Budget Office to provide technical support to the Liberian Legislature through its Committees on Ways, Means, Budget, Finance, & Development Planning by undertaking an impartial analysis of revenues and public expenditures forecasts and outturns as contained in the budget proposal of the Executive Branch, and to inform the Legislature’s consideration and approval of draft national budgets.Mr. Wreh, expressed confidence in the management team of the LBO headed by Director Othello S. Tarbah, to perform satisfactorily and move the LBO to higher standards in supporting the legislative agenda of Liberia.Wreh thanked Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr for this support to LIMPAC’s activities and gave assurances of LIMPAC’s continuous support and engagements with the National Legislature through the LBO in a collaborative fashion to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes relative to the analysis and interpretation of the national budget, and other public policy instruments. He revealed that LIMPAC will also leverage its network of donor partners to intercede on behalf of the LBO and other technical support units within the Liberian Legislature to boost collective productivity across government.

Director Othello S. Tarblah – Acting Director, LBO

For his part, LBO Acting Director Othello S. Tarblah, receiving the donation, paid special tribute to the LIMPAC Board Chair & Finance Minister, Honorable Samuel D. Tweah, Jr, describing him as a man of high professional standards and a respectable public financial management practitioner who has taken Liberia’s public financial management endeavors to higher heights.Mr. Tarbah noted that the kind gesture was an exercise in ‘triangulation’ which according to him will go a long way in Legislative strengthening. He said the logistics came at the time the LBO is analyzing the Draft FY2020/2021 national budget for passage by the Legislature. He indicated that the ‘good’ which has arrived on time will expedite critical analyses, recommendations, and decisions on the passage of the proposed budget now being considered by the Legislature.He called on the fiscal authorities of the government to continue constructive engagements at all levels of the budget process.

LIMPAC Chairs Multi-Agency Payroll Clean-Up Taskforce

In support of the on-going wage bill and civil service reforms exercise, The President of the Republic of Liberia H.E George Weah has constituted a Multi-Agency Payroll Clean-Up Taskforce. The Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center(LIMPAC) within the Ministry Finance and Development Planning(MFDP) has been nominated to lead the activities for the taskforce.

The Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center(LIMPAC) is a research and policy think tank in the Ministry of Finance and Developing Planning which is currently leading on the on-going wage harmonization and standardization exercise. Over the past several months, LIMPAC, leading the Payroll Harmonization Team along with the Civil Service Agency has been working with various spending entities within the central Government in creating transparency and equity within the national wage bill through standardizing the pay grade system, centralizing, and automating the payroll. Through the harmonization exercise, which is backed by the National Standardization Act of 2019, paygrades were assigned to about 74,000 employees of central government thereby achieving reduction in the Wage bill by US$30 million, from US$327 million at end of FY18/19 to US$297 million in the approved FY19/20 National Budget. Also, through the harmonization exercise, basic salary and general allowances were collapsed into a single salary and immediate salaries increment were effected for more than 15,000 employees; mainly security officers, teachers on supplementary payroll, health workers, employees of revenue generating agencies.

The Task Force which primary objective is to remove ghost employees from the payroll in an efficient and sustainable manner also include the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), the Civil Service Agency (CSA), and the National Identification Registry (NIR) . LIMPAC as chairman of the Task Force will supervise the daily activities of the Taskforce as well as forge persistent collaboration with other members and the spending entities of interest to identify and immediately remove or blocked ghost employees from the government centralized and automated payroll system.

The Internal Audit Agency Co-chairing the Taskforce will institute physical audits of payrolls for entities on interest and provide findings to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning through LIMPAC and the Civil Service Agency for immediate actions. The National Identification Registry will ensure that employees have valid National Identification Number(NIN), while Civil Service Agency will provide data and support to members regarding employees’ records and job history.