About 28,200 government employees, representing 45% of the workforce, are set to receive salary increases in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget, the Liberian government has announced.
According to a communication attached to the Draft FY2025 budget submitted to the legislature, the budget also marks the start of a multi-year plan to address the long-standing issue of volunteer workers in the health and education sectors.
While the full cost of incorporating these workers onto the payroll is estimated at $15 million, the FY2025 budget allocates $2.6 million to begin addressing this issue through a thorough vetting process.
The communication added that nearly $3 million has been earmarked to ensure that about 2,000 underpaid teachers with qualifications ranging from certificates to bachelor’s degrees will receive salaries that match their grades starting January 2025.
Specialist doctors in the health sector will also see a $225 monthly salary increase as part of efforts to regularize their pay.
Additionally, employees in the health, agriculture, and security sectors will benefit from monthly salary top-ups ranging from $25 to $50.
Nurses, midwives, and physician assistants will receive $50, while other health workers and employees in the agriculture and security sectors, including AFL soldiers, police officers, and agriculture extension workers, will receive increments between $25 and $40.
Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan has disclosed that, starting January 2025, no central government employee will earn less than $150 per month.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism (MICAT), Minister Ngafuan stated that the government has allocated funds to ensure all central government employees receive a gross monthly salary of at least $150, in compliance with the Decent Work Act of 2015.
He further pledged timely salary payments, stating that all employees will be paid on or before the 24th of each month, beginning this November.
The FY2025 Draft National Budget is projected at $851.8 million, with 93% coming from domestic revenue, including $633.72 million in tax revenue and $138.5 million in non-tax revenue. External funding accounts for $60 million, sourced from the World Bank and the European Union, marking a 50% increase from FY2024.
These changes are part of efforts to reverse former President George Weah’s Harmonization program, which was widely criticized and seen as a contributing factor to his loss in the 2023 elections.
