Monrovia – This Paper has in its possession a reform organogram of the Civil Service Agency that is been effectuated by its Director–General Laurine Wede Johnson. The reformed chart is separate from the original organogram done by the Governance Commission.
In a memo dated November 12, 2019, DG Johnson informed and shared with all departmental heads the new CSA organogram, which according to her, distinguishes roles and reporting line in the discharge of her respective core functions.
In the memo, she said that she discovered that the Department of Finance and Budget was wrongly placed after her engagement with senior staff. “In accordance with section 3 of the Public Procurement Management Act of 2009, every government agency and every constitutional institution shall have an Accounting Officer, who shall be the head of agency or head of spending units.”
In defense of her action, she further quoted a sub-regulation of the PFM Act, “The line minister shall be the head of the agency or the spending unit in the Ministry and the head of the agency shall be the head of the spending unit in the government agency.”
When contacted via mobile phone, Madam Johnson told FrontPageAfrica reporter the situation at the CSA was none of his business, and that she runs the CSA. “First I will say to you it is none of your business. I run an institution if you have your issues, you can come to my office and don’t call me on phone; I don’t even know you how sure am I that you are real.”
In the organizational chart before Madam Johnson’s appointment, the Internal Audit, Public Relation and CSRD were the departments directly under the Director General’s office while the General Administration, Finance, Personnel, Welfare Registry, Procurement, Stores, Transport, Estate, Maintenance and Security, Finance and IT Services were directly under the office of the Deputy Director-General for Administration.
In the reformed chart done by Madam Johnson, she placed under her direct supervision, the departments of Procurement, Legal, Internal Audit, Civil Service Principal Administration, Senior Technical Advisor, Compliance, Senior Administrative Assistant, Finance and Public Relations Officer.
“The line minister shall be the head of the agency or the spending unit in the Ministry and the head of the agency shall be the head of the spending unit in the government agency.”
– Director–General Laurine Wede Johnson
Counter Response to the CSA Boss’ Action
Responding to the DG’s action in a letter dated November 13, 2019, Mr. James A. Thompson, Deputy Director-General, HRM & Policy at the CSA differ with the DG stating that in the law, policy, and good practice does not suggest that the exercise of said authority is exclusive and can simply be done on the impulses of the head of agency.
“The general motive behind transfers and other personnel changes, especially in a public entity, should be to improve the performance of the entity. I have seen no plans nor performance concerns within the CSA that necessitate these staffing adjustments that you have announced. What is even more interesting is the creation of “Regional Coordinators”, where they are not needed, and at a time when the central CSA is challenged by the current financial constraints faced by the Government.
“I also question the idea behind transferring two of our best professionals to Grand Gedeh and Bomi, vastly and inappropriately (policy and legal-wise) reducing their roles and influence. I really need to be convinced how this serves any legitimate concerns for improving the CSA and not some kind of selfish interest you may have.
“I am raising the issue of motive and process because I am not sure why I was not consulted on the changes, which affect two directorates under the Department of Human Resource Management and Policy. And note that these are the same concerns I have over the attempt to unilaterally alter the established organizational structure of the CSA. In fact, good management practice would mean that recommendations for changes should either come from me or I be appropriately consulted on the concerns for change that my boss may have. And without any kind of salient justification for all these changes, I feel even more convinced that they are inappropriate and will have either no or negative impact on the growth and development of the CSA.”