The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) has taken note of allegations circulating on social and traditional media platforms, claiming that the Management of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) spent US$675,000.00 solely to facilitate a project assessment tour of six counties.
In a statement issued on Thursday, March 13, 2025, the CSNL described these allegations as false, misleading, and a harmful falsehood aimed at damaging LACE’s reputation in its efforts to deliver basic services to the Liberian people, particularly to those in rural areas.
An investigation conducted by CSNL revealed that the US$675,000 was not solely for assessing six counties, but is intended to support the facilitation of district projects across the country for 2024. This includes administrative and technical support necessary for planning the agency’s 2024 Agenda, of which assessments are a vital component.
As a key project of LACE, members of the Legislature must present, on behalf of their constituencies, a list of project needs articulated through a consultative engagement process. This process has faced criticism from various sectors of society, as many believe that decisions made by lawmakers regarding projects presented to LACE in the past were not based on meaningful consultations but were instead unilaterally decided by lawmakers from their offices. To address this, LACE initiated a consultative assessment process to visit each proposed project site, engaging with local community leaders, including superintendents, district commissioners, and town chiefs, who are the direct beneficiaries of these projects.
According to CSNL’s investigative findings, under the 2024 Budget Year, LACE received nearly 313 proposed project requests from 103 lawmakers.
The statement explains, “The visitation tour to each location was led by LACE’s Executive Director, Mr. Juius Sele, along with joint assessment teams composed of about 70 individuals. Each team consisted of five to six members, depending on the county, and visited all 73 districts in the country to verify each proposed project and the available sites.”
The group further stated that the teams included representatives from at least four media outlets, including Spoon and OK, as well as selected local media institutions, personnel from the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Infrastructure Units of the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (MFDP), and contracted services from young engineers and architects, along with community engagement and project assistants from LACE.
Each category of personnel was represented in at least one of the teams to ensure that information collected with the assistance of assessment tools was consistent across the country. This monitoring and evaluation process allowed the assessment teams to identify at least 220 projects for implementation across the 73 districts in Liberia.
CSNL noted that because there is no limit to the number of projects a lawmaker can propose in a given year based on consultations with their constituencies, LACE is required to receive and assess all proposed projects. In response, LACE provides recommendations back to the lawmakers regarding which projects are feasible considering cost implications.
The statement: “Therefore, CSNL finds it highly misleading and ridiculous for social and traditional media to spread misinformation suggesting that the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment spent US$675,000 merely on an assessment tour. This assertion is completely unfounded. As part of LACE’s ongoing assessments of over 220 legislative projects nationwide, the Management of LACE will conduct on-site inspections and evaluations of these projects.
The public is informed that project assessments by LACE are periodic and not a one-time event, contrary to how they have been inaccurately presented in the media by false propagandists under the guise of activism. LACE has established three assessment periods: before implementation, during implementation, and after implementation.
“In the coming months, LACE will commence another nationwide assessment tour to visit the over 220 project sites, evaluate ongoing work, and initiate necessary planning for the 2025 district projects. Therefore, the use of US$675,000 for assessments of these 220 projects across Liberia is justified and should not be misrepresented as corruption on the part of the LACE Management,” CSNL said.
