MONROVIA – The Civil Society Network of Liberia says its attention “is seriously awakened to allegations being made on social and traditional media platforms that the Management of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) used US$675,000.00 just to facilitate project assessment tour of six counties”.
The Network noted that the allegation is not only false and misleading, but a dangerous falsehood intended to derail the image of the LACE in its efforts to reach out with the provision of basic services to the Liberian people, especially the rural poor.
The group said it conducted an investigation of the matter and clearly established that the agency did not use US$675,000 just on assessment of 6 counties as being alleged, but that the funds were intended generally to support the facilitation of the 2024 district projects across the country, including administrative and technical support aimed at properly planning for the achievement of the agency’s 2024 Agenda, of which assessment is a key component.
LACE provides technical and administrative support to legislative projects drawn out by the lawmakers and their constituents, the group said, adding: “This process, undoubtedly, has come under serious criticisms from all spectrum of the society alleging that the decisions of lawmakers on the kind of projects presented to LACE in the past were not based on consultations but were decisions made unilaterally by lawmakers from their respective offices.
As a result of those public reactions to the legislative projects, the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment initiated a consultative assessment process to visit the site of every proposed project from lawmakers to meet and discuss with local community leaders, including superintendents, district commissioners, town chiefs, etc., who are direct beneficiaries of these projects.
Documents from the Civil Society Network’s investigative findings provide that under the 2024 Budget Year, the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment received nearly 313 proposed requests from 103 lawmakers under the legislative projects.
A visitation tour of each of the locations by the Management of LACE, headed by the agency’s Executive Director, Mr. Juius Sele with joint assessment teams, comprising of about 70 persons in a team of either five or six, depending on the county, were dispatched to all 73 districts across the country to verify each of the proposed requested projects and the available sites.
The 20-day period, depending of the size of the county and the number of projects per county, the team included representatives from at least four media houses, including Spoon, OK, representatives from the M&E as well as Infrastructure Unit.
The tours also included the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (MFDP), personnel from both Houses of the Legislature, contracted the services of young engineers and architects as well as community engagements, procurement and project assistants from LACE itself.
Each category of personnel was represented in at least one of the teams so that information being collected, with the aid of assessment tools, were consistent from across the country.
Based on this monitoring and evaluation exercise, the assessment teams were able to identify at least 220 projects for implementation across the 73 districts in Liberia.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia further gathered that because there is no ceiling as to how many projects a lawmaker can propose in consultations with their respective constituencies in a given year, LACE is obligated to receiving and assessing all proposed projects and in response, make recommendations back to the lawmaker or lawmakers on which of the projects were doable given the cost implications.
The CSNL says it considers it disingenuous and ridiculous for social and traditional media to be flooded with misinformation to the public that the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment used US$675K on just mere assessment tour.
“This is totally farfetched and misleading,” the group said further. “As part of the agency’s continuous assessments of over 220 ongoing legislative projects across the country, the LACE Management will conduct on-site inspection and assessment of these projects.”
The Civil Society Network of Liberia said project assessments by LACE is periodic, and not a one-time event as being wrongly presented in the media the group described as “false propagandists under the disguise of activism”.
Asserted the CSO Network: “The Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment has three established assessment periods: before implementation, during implementation and after implementation. We are informed that in the next few months, LACE will commence another nation-wide assessment tour of the country to visit the over 220 project sites; assess on-going works and initiate the necessary planning process for the 2025 district projects.
“So, the use of US$675K for assessments of over 220 projects across Liberia is justified, and cannot be falsely construed to be corrupted by the LACE Management. Allegations that local media practitioners and local officials did not receive funds allotted for them is just a propaganda tool being used to wrongly indict the LACE Management. Documents in the possession of the CSNL shows disbursements of funds to media institutions that were selected for the tour and to local officials in the counties.”
Based on the investigations conducted by the Civil Society Network on the implementation module of the legislative projects, the Civil Society Network is convinced that the LACE is effectively implementing its responsibilities, through different community empowerment programs, including the construction of roads, bridges, market halls, community and town halls, youth and women centers, clinics, schools, amongst others.
Since its enactment into Law in July 2004, the Network says, LACE has been at the forefront of receiving millions of dollars from both donors and the Government of Liberia to address issues of poverty through infrastructure construction and rehabilitation, social protection activities through direct cash transfers, provision of labor subsidies and support to small business across the country. There are thousands of LACE projects across Liberia, especially in rural communities, which are greatly impacting the livelihood of the citizens.
Despite challenges due to climate change, conflict and others, LACE has been responsive to the needs of communities.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia calls on those parading with allegations of corruption against the Management of the LACE to desist, as all investigations show that the US$675k is being appropriately used for assessments purposes.
In as much as we detest corruption and the mismanagement of public funds, it is important to investigate before drawing conclusions.
“We urge the Management of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment not to be deterred and distracted by fake propagandas and unfounded reports, but rather continue its community empowerment works across Liberia,” the group concluded.
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