-An Industrial-Organizational Psychologist Calls for Conscience, Courage & Renewal
A Liberian Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai, Jr. has passionately appeal to the conscience and courage of Liberia for national renewal, saying despite the darkness of the country’s past and the depth of our dysfunction, a new day of practical, national transformation has emerged over our Republic.
“Under the bold, intentional, and reform-driven leadership of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., Liberia is no longer wandering in silence or paralyzed by fear. We confront our failures head-on, with truth, courage, and moral conviction. The road is long, and the work is hard, but make no mistake, Liberia is rising again,” Dr. Joekai indicated.
Speaking in his personal capacity, Dr. Joekai, the Director General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) who clarified that he was not speaking in his official capacity as Director-General of the Civil Service Agency, Chairman of the Health and Public Service Network of Africa, or Chairman of the Board of the President’s Young Professionals’ Program clarified further, “I speak to you simply as a Liberian, burdened by the weight of our challenges and inspired by the glimmers of hope now rising.”
He pointed out that Liberia is a nation with a glorious origin, yet burdened by a painful present, saying “This is not a time for blame. This is a time for reckoning. For too long, we have danced around the truth, ignored the fractures within our society, and surrendered our moral center to survivalism, corruption, and silence.”
He spoke of Liberia’s “Wounded Legacy, the New Day that has come,” amongst others, saying since 1847, Liberia has wrestled with two parallel legacies of the hope of liberty and the shadow of exclusion; the divide between settler and indigenous communities, as well as the privileged and the marginalized, has persisted for generations, entrenching inequality in access to education, land, political power, and justice.
The US trained Liberian Industrial-Organizational Psychologist noted that this deep-seated dualism fostered bitterness, mistrust, and competing identities rather than national unity. Over the decades, successive governments, he asserted, failed to equitably address these divides, leading to civil unrest, instability, and war.
This legacy of exclusion was mirrored within our families. The Liberian family structure, once the foundation of our strength, has been eroded by poverty, trauma, and cultural abandonment. Marriages have become transactional. Parenting has been replaced by neglect. Many of our children, meant to be nurtured, guided, and protected, have grown up in environments where survival is the only example, a situation where our national values collapsed under the weight of daily suffering.
He also noted that the worse still, a culture of corruption became the norm rather than the exception; but instead became a means of living as public service was used for private gain with greed overtaken gratitude.
As public institutions weakened, the people lost trust in their government and one another. This moral decline, compounded by economic despair, turned Liberia into a nation deeply fractured by history, trauma, and injustice.
Today, he maintained, many of our citizens live in abject poverty, not because Liberia lacks wealth, but because we have mismanaged what we have. We have allowed the few to feast while the many starve. We have permitted silence to mask systemic failure. And we have turned away from accountability, fearing that truth might be too heavy a burden to bear; emphatically stating “But this generation must break that cycle.”
The Liberia official and reformer acknowledging the glimmer of light beaming in the country pointed to the War on Drugs and Substance Abuse being Declared, noting that Liberia is fighting a silent war that has claimed more victims than one can count. The crisis of drug and substance abuse, he furthered, has become a generational emergency, especially among our youth.
“Recognizing the existential threat this crisis poses, the Boakai administration has declared war on drugs, not with empty declarations, but with deliberate actions. Anti-drug task forces have been empowered to dismantle trafficking networks and disrupt the circulation of deadly substances like “kush.” Rehabilitation centers are being strengthened to provide hope and healing for those trapped in addiction, while community awareness campaigns are being rolled out to educate, prevent, and protect our future,” he averred.
He also named the Establishing the War and Economic Crimes Court when he stated that justice is the foundation of healing. “For too long, Liberia has tiptoed around the atrocities of the past. Victims of war crimes, corruption, and sexual violence have suffered in silence, while perpetrators walked freely without accountability. That era is ending. The Boakai administration has taken a historic step by initiating the process for establishing the War and Economic Crimes Court,” which he pointed out, is not about revenge; but is about national redemption.
Dr. Joekai highlighted the government’s drive empowering Liberians through TVET and education adding that a skilled, empowered, and self-reliant population must drive Liberia’s development. “The days of youth unemployment and helplessness must end. That is why the Boakai administration is investing heavily in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to provide our citizens with practical, employable skills. The Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) is undergoing extensive rehabilitation and re-equipping to meet modern industry standards. The historic Booker T. Washington Institute (BWI) is regaining its status as a premier institution for technical training.
“Rural Teacher Training Institutes (RTTIs) are being strengthened to fill critical gaps in our education system, mainly by producing professional teachers to serve in underserved areas. Across Liberia, new county-level TVET centers are being established to serve thousands of young people. This government is not just building classrooms; it is building futures,” he accentuated
The Boakai administration, he said, has launched an ambitious infrastructure agenda to connect communities and ignite economic growth. Roads are being paved in every region, from the heart of Monrovia to the remote corners in the country’s north-central, western, and southeastern regions, Dr. Joekai indicated
He further indicated, “Bridges are being built and rehabilitated to reconnect people long cut off from essential services. Public schools, health centers, and administrative buildings are being upgraded to provide efficient public services. Infrastructure development under this administration is not about political visibility but national connectivity, opportunity, and pride.”
He spoken about the Building of a Merit-Based, Accountable Civil Service by the government to ensure that public service must reflect the values of competence, integrity, and patriotism; the leveraging technology for public service delivery and said that efficiency cannot be achieved through outdated systems in this digital age; the Strengthening Law Enforcement and the Rule of Law as security and justice are the lifeblood of a functioning democracy, a reason for which he said Boakai administration is restoring law and order by strengthening Liberia’s security architecture and enforcing the Liberianization Policy and Creating Jobs.
Liberians, he pointed out, deserve to be the primary beneficiaries of their own economy, and foreign nationals occupied jobs and business spaces reserved for Liberians under the law for decades.
“That injustice is being corrected. The government will shortly begin a rigorous review of work permits, revoking those illegally granted to foreigners occupying roles meant for Liberians. Concession companies and foreign businesses are being audited to ensure they comply with labor laws and investment agreements. At the same time, there’s a massive plan for Liberian entrepreneurs to be supported through training, access to capital, and procurement opportunities. This is not xenophobia; it is economic justice. It is about putting Liberians first, not as a slogan, but as a strategic policy to empower Liberians economically,” Dr. Joekai observed.
He also spoke of the new day in which the government is increasing Civil Servant Salaries and Supporting Essential Sectors, adding that motivation and morale in the public sector are directly tied to compensation and dignity.
According to him, for far too long, civil servants in the critical sectors of health, education, agriculture, and security, who comprise approximately 60% of the workforce, were underpaid and undervalued. Teachers, nurses, police officers, agriculturalists, and other essential workers earned as little as US$69 to US$99 monthly. That is significantly changing. The Boakai administration has implemented a salary top-up, ensuring that the lowest-paid workers in these sectors now earn US$150 and above monthly based on qualification.
“Beyond salary adjustments, the government is transitioning thousands of knowledgeable and professional volunteer health workers and teachers onto the national payroll, recognizing their essential contributions and providing them with job security. These reforms are accompanied by efforts to improve workplace culture, promote work-life balance, and reward merit,” he said, adding “The impact has been immediate: motivation, satisfaction, and productivity across the civil service are rising.”
He then made a national call to conscience, saying, “However, no administration, no matter how visionary, can transform a nation unless its people change their mindset. We must bury the culture of shortcuts, stand against tribalism, and reject corruption at every level.
We must raise a new generation that values truth over titles, purpose over power, and country over self.
Let our youth dream again.
Let our public servants serve again.
Let our families be whole again.
Let Liberia rise again.
He concluded, “The Soul of the Nation is in Our Hands.” He said nations do not die from external invasion; they collapse when their moral center disintegrates. But they also rise when their people reclaim truth, justice, and courage. Liberia is rising, not from wishful thinking, but from action, sacrifice, and renewed national purpose. So let us rise, one healed family, one functioning institution, one empowered citizen at a time.
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