The Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) is an autonomous Agency of the Government of Liberia established on July 22, 2004 under the new Executive Law, Title 12 Chapter 50.B of the Liberian Code of Laws, also known as the “Community Empowerment Act”. The Primary Goals of the Agency is engendering national Initiatives and Strategies geared towards alleviating poverty and towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals under No. 6 in Liberia through the Community Driven Development Approach (CDDA). 

The Primary objective of the Agency is to improve the living standard of poor communities dwellers through the provisions and strengthening of basic social services and to promote a community based approach in sub-project identification, preparation, implementation, administration and maintenance of community driven development projects funded by the Government of Liberia, World Bank, European Union, African Development Bank and other donors. LACE started actual operations in January 2005 with a bridging grant of US$1.1 Million administered by Mercy Corps-Liberia, an International Non-governmental Organization (INGO).

The Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment, since its establishment, has been successful in the execution of the Community Empowerment Project (CEP 1&2) especially constructions’ of basic social infrastructures, such as school buildings, Latrines & Water-wells,  bridges etc,  throughout the Country.

In addition, LACE with support from the World Bank, the Government of Liberia and other developmental partners, has effectively and successfully implemented scores of social protection initiatives across Liberia. They include: Cash for Works Temporary Employment Project (CfWTEP), Youth Employment Skills-Community Works Project (YES-CWP), the Children and Youth in Africa (CHYAO) Project, the Government of Liberia Youth Employment Project (LYEP), and the SIDA Cash for Works.

LACE is currently engaged in the implementation of the Youth Opportunities Project (YOP), the President Special Small Works Project, which includes the Gorbachev Market Project, the Omega Market, and the Low-Cost Housing Project in Popo Beach, etc.

Based on the Agency’ competent ability demonstrated over the years, the Government of Liberia appropriated US$1,800,000.00 (One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in its Fiscal Year 2012/2013 for the implementation of 44 infrastructural projects, ranging from schools, clinics, bridges, WATSAN and town halls, amongst others.  This initial investment was increased to US$11,000.000.00 (Eleven Million United States Dollars) in the Fiscal Year 2015/2016 budget thus capacitating the Agency to successfully implement additional projects in all 73 electoral districts of Liberia. 

The YOP project development objective is to improve access to income generation opportunities for venerable youths and strengthen the Government’s capacity to implement its youth cash transfer program. The 5-year-project comprises of four major components namely: i) Pre-employment Social Support and Household Enterprises for Urban Youth; ii) Productive Public Works and Life Skills Support; iii) Capacity and Systems Building for Cash Transfer; and iv) Project Implementation and Coordination.

LACE is mainly responsible for the implementation of Productive Public Works and Life Skills Training of Rural Youth now referred to as the Community Livelihood Agriculture Support, as well as the Household Enterprise Support for Urban Youth sub-components, which is also referred to as the Small Business Support. The Community Livelihood Agriculture Support sub-component of the project is providing support to 10,000 poor and vulnerable youths in rural areas across the country to enable them engage in community farming activities; while the Small Business Support Subcomponent is providing support to 3000 youths in Montserrado County to establish new businesses or expand existing ones.    

In order to achieve high level of performance, LACE is endowed with lot of professionals, which includes management, technical and support staff. The management staff includes the followings: Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director, Finance Director, and Procurement Director. The technical staff incorporates the followings: Program Manager, M&E Manager, Project Engineers, Project Officers, MIS Officer, etc. The support staff includes the followings: Project Drivers, etc.

LACE activities are supervised by the Board of Directors which sole responsibility is to provide overall guidance on the management and overseers the activities of the Agency.