By: Perry B. Zordyu
Monrovia-May-23-TNR:The Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Josiah F. Joekai has termed as a symbolic leadership style of expanding the President’s Young Professionals Program as he takes over as the new Board Chair of that institution.
During the turning over, Acting Board Chair, Mr. T. Nelson Williams said the President’s Young Professionals Program of Liberia is a prestigious and competitive two-year program that recruits and places recent Liberian university graduates in important government roles and provides them with training and mentorship as they support the government’s top priorities adding that it is constitutional that the Director-General of the Civil Service Agency serves as Chairman of the entity.
Mr. Williams who served as acting chairman of the board for the past five months after the departure of Mr. James A. Thompson, former CSA boss then remained the CSA boss of the significant role the institution plays in gravitating young people through professional services.
The former acting chairman expressed confidence in Director Joekai’s ability to build on the institution’s existing foundation and foster a mutual collaborative roadmap geared towards sustainable development.
Mr. Nelson Williams noted that as Board Chair, CSA boss Joekai will lead and coordinate the Board of Directors activities, holding fiscal and legal authority over the PYPP’s governance.
Making his acceptance speech, Mr. Josiah Joekai lauded the PYPP Executive Director, Mrs. Ciata Stevens d’Almeida, for her impactful leadership, which has significantly bolstered the country’s workforce.
He emphasized the CSA’s commitment to working closely with the PYPP, noting that the CSA is responsible for managing human resources through recruitment and policy implementation across all 103 government spending entities.
The Civil Service Agency Director-General lamented that the President’s Young Professionals Program (PYPP) has made a significant impact due to its unlimited number of young people committed to serving Liberia adding that the program under his watch as Chairman will shift the next generation of civil service leaders.
“As the new board chair, I will work with colleagues and the executive of PYPP to spearhead initiatives aimed at expanding the program’s reach and impact, ensuring that it continues to serve as a beacon of excellence for young professionals across the nation.” Mr. Joekai stressed.
The PYPP Board Chair vowed that the PYPP will continue its vital role in strengthening Liberia’s civil service by harnessing the talents of the nation’s youth, ensuring a robust pipeline of skilled professionals dedicated to the country’s progress.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the President’s Young Professionals Program Mrs. d’Almeida stressed that since its inception in 2009, the PYPP has recruited over 245 young professionals across 12 cohorts of these, 154 continue to serve in the civil service, while 48 have transitioned to the private sector adding that the program has seen 178 fellows complete the full two-year fellowship, with seven resigning before completion.
PYPP was established and launched in 2009 by a consortium of visionary funders with the support of the Government of Liberia aimed to attract and retain the brightest young minds in the country by providing them with opportunities for professional development and leadership training.
The program’s success has gained international recognition, which has led to the establishment of Emerging Public Leaders in Ghana and Kenya, with Malawi also on the verge of copying Liberia’s most prestigious and competitive two-year fellowship and has become one of Africa’s most competitive programs for leadership in public service.
The turning-over ceremony was held in the conference room of the Civil Service Agency in Congo Town.
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