President Weah Commissions Work Permit Digitization System at Labor Ministry
MONROVIA, LIBERIA - The President of the Republic, H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, has commissioned a Work Permit Digitization System at the Ministry of Labor, describing it a milestone achievement that enhances modernization of government operations for better efficiency and greater productivity.
In a special statement Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex and attended by an array of government officials and partners, President Weah said the Digitization System would go a long way in putting Liberia on par with other African and Western countries.
The Liberian President acknowledged how Liberia was the only West African country using a manual work permit system.
“This new innovation will not only improve efficiency but will also increase revenue and provide new employment opportunities,” the President noted, adding that it would also enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Labor to protect and defend the rights of workers in the country.
The newly commissioned system is a five-year project of the Government of Liberia, represented by the Ministry of Labor, and CETIS Graphics and Documentation Services Company of the Republic of Slovenia.
The project is not only an upgrade from manual to a digital system, but also provides for up-front delivery of over $500M worth of ultra-modern electronic equipment. It also entails supplying 15 double cabin 4x4 Toyota pickups, two Jeeps, 5 Sedans, and 35 Yamaha Motor Bikes.
This contract also covers supplies of fuel, maintenance, and insurance of all equipment and vehicles, as well as salaries and daily allowances for the entire five-year duration of the project.
President Weah emphasized that the equipment would enable the Ministry of Labor enforce the Work Permit regime of the Government across the country, immensely enhance the capacity of the Ministry to inspect and ensure the safety and other conditions of workers in the workplace, including overall compliance by employers with Liberia's labor laws, in both the formal and the informal sectors of our economy.
"This will enable and empower the Ministry of Labor to work more efficiently and effectively simultaneously in all 15 counties of Liberia, in both the rainy and the dry seasons," the President stressed.
The Liberian leader said his administration takes very seriously the protection of workers' rights throughout the country as well as adequate employment of qualified, competent, and available people to work while investors would also be treated fairly in their relationship with the government and with their employees.
The President, however, warned that he would not hesitate to take stringent measures against any employers who attempt to evade the payment of government taxes or who try to infringe upon the rights of workers.
He reminded the Ministry of Labor of its responsibility of ensuring that Liberians get job opportunities and are given wages comparable to foreigners doing the same job.
“These policies must be adhered to without compromise,” he warned further, adding: “While we seek to increase revenue from greater efficiency in the work permit regime, we will not compromise the rights of our citizens to priority employment opportunities.”
President Weah thanked CETIS Graphics and Documentation Services, the Ministry of Labor, and the PPCC for the achievement and reaffirmed Government’s fullest support to the Project.
