ZWEDRU, Grand Gedeh County — Civil servants in five southeastern counties are poised to gain easier access to government human resource services following the Civil Service Agency’s groundbreaking for a new regional headquarters in Zwedru, a project the Agency says will significantly advance its nationwide decentralization program.
Unlike the CSA’s traditional centralized approach, which has required many civil servants to rely on administrative services based in Monrovia, the new regional structure is designed to bring essential personnel services within closer reach of employees in Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, River Gee, Maryland and Grand Kru.
The facility will be built on two lots located within the Grand Gedeh County Administration Building compound. County authorities donated the land in May 2026, enabling the CSA to move forward with its plan to establish a permanent southeastern regional presence.
For CSA Director-General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr., the groundbreaking represents a continuation of a national strategy to make the public service more responsive by taking administrative institutions to the people rather than requiring citizens and government employees to repeatedly travel to the capital.
Joekai said the Agency’s decentralization agenda is designed to address practical challenges that have confronted civil servants, particularly those seeking assistance with payroll matters, personnel records and verification of academic and professional credentials. He argued that regional offices will make such services more accessible while improving the Agency’s ability to respond to human resource concerns across Liberia.
He said: “Monday’s groundbreaking marked a historic moment for the Agency’s robust decentralization agenda, which is geared towards taking services closer to the people.”
The Director-General placed the Zwedru project within a larger rollout of regional CSA facilities. He pointed to the recently renovated Tubmanburg regional headquarters, which serves Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount, and the ongoing construction of the Gbarnga regional headquarters, which is expected to provide services to Bong, Nimba and Lofa counties.
According to Joekai, the Agency’s plans do not end with Zwedru and Gbarnga. He disclosed that the CSA is seeking resources to commence construction of another regional headquarters in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, as the Agency continues to expand its decentralized administrative network.
He added: “I’m pleased to announce that construction is ongoing. That regional headquarters will serve Bong, Nimba, and Lofa counties.”
The Zwedru project is expected to be completed within 150 days and is being implemented by Xcellence Group of Companies Incorporated, a 100 percent Liberian-owned company. The selection of a local company to undertake the project also places emphasis on domestic participation in the government’s infrastructure and institutional development agenda.
Grand Gedeh County Superintendent Alex Chersia Grant, meanwhile, pledged the county administration’s support for the undertaking, signaling the local government’s willingness to work with the CSA and the contractor throughout the construction period. With the county having provided land for the headquarters, the administration is expected to play a key role in ensuring that construction proceeds without avoidable obstacles.
He said: “Grand Gedeh County is committed to supporting this initiative because it will not only benefit our county but will provide an important regional service to civil servants across southeastern Liberia.”
The superintendent’s pledge comes at a time when government continues to pursue efforts aimed at bringing public institutions and services closer to communities outside Monrovia. For Grand Gedeh, the establishment of the CSA headquarters could strengthen the county’s role as an administrative center for the southeastern region, particularly because the facility will serve four other counties in addition to Grand Gedeh.
Grant further emphasized the importance of ensuring that the construction is completed according to schedule, with the 150-day completion period placing responsibility on both the contractor and relevant authorities to maintain momentum throughout the implementation process.
He added: “Our responsibility as county authorities is to ensure that the necessary enabling environment is provided so that the contractor can work effectively and deliver the project within the agreed timeframe.”
The groundbreaking was attended by traditional leaders, members of the Chief and Elder Council of Liberia’s southeastern branch, representatives of women and youth groups, and citizens of Grand Gedeh. Representative Jeremiah G. Sokan, Chairman of the Grand Gedeh County Legislative Caucus, led the groundbreaking program and commended the CSA for pursuing reforms in the public service while simultaneously improving its physical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has provided financial support for the Gbarnga and Zwedru projects, according to the CSA. The Agency is also seeking additional funding for the planned Buchanan headquarters.
The projects collectively signal a shift in the CSA’s approach to service delivery, with regional infrastructure increasingly becoming a central component of its effort to improve public-sector administration. If completed as scheduled, the Zwedru facility could become a critical link between the CSA’s national headquarters and thousands of civil servants working across Liberia’s southeastern counties.
The CSA Director-General was accompanied to the ceremony by Deputy Director-General for Human Resource Management and Policy Edwin K. Jallah and Deputy Director-General for Administration and Finance Atty. Dahnu Mianyen.
For the five counties expected to fall under the new regional headquarters, the project represents an opportunity to access civil service services closer to home, while for the CSA, it marks another step toward creating a more geographically accessible and decentralized public administration system.
