By Jamesetta D Williams
MONROVIA–Former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah has strongly challenged claims by Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan that the government has reversed public sector pay harmonization at several integrity institutions, describing such assertions as both technically and legally flawed.
In a detailed written response circulated publicly, Tweah argued that institutions including the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the General Auditing Commission (GAC) were never “harmonized” in the manner being portrayed by current government officials.
According to Tweah, those institutions were already operating under a single salary structure prior to the implementation of the pay harmonization policy.
He explained that the reform was not intended to raise or cut salaries, but rather to standardize compensation by eliminating the long-standing dual system of basic salaries and general allowances.
“Harmonization was not about increasing or decreasing salary,” Tweah stated. “It was about abolishing the dual pay system of basic salary and general allowances and replacing it with a single, transparent income subject to one tax.”
He noted that the harmonization process applied standardized pay grades across government entities to promote equity, transparency, and rule-based compensation, particularly in institutions responsible for upholding accountability and good governance.
Tweah further disclosed that the policy resulted in significant benefits for public servants. He said approximately 15,000 government workers saw salary increases during the first year of implementation, while an estimated 45,000 employees benefited over a three-year period.
Among those impacted according to Tweah, were instructors at the University of Liberia, whose salaries reportedly increased by more than 60 percent.
Addressing claims that the current administration has reversed harmonization at the LACC, GAC, and within the judiciary, including Supreme Court justices and judges, Tweah insisted that such a reversal would require reinstating the old compensation framework of separate basic salaries and allowances.
He maintained that the government has neither taken steps to restore that system nor does it have the practical capacity to do so.
Tweah’s comments were in direct response to remarks made by Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan during a recent appearance on the radio program Class Reloaded, where he stated that the government had reversed pay harmonization at several integrity institutions and within the judiciary.
The contrasting positions have reignited public debate over the implementation and interpretation of Liberia’s public sector pay harmonization policy, particularly as it relates to transparency, equity, and fiscal management.
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.
