LACE, LPRC Sign Corporate Partnership Agreement

The Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), and the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), have signed a Corporate Partnership Agreement to strengthen collaboration on community development and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

The Agreement was signed over the weekend at LPRC’s headquarters in Monrovia. The ceremony was attended by senior officials from the institutions.

The partnership is expected to support sustainable development projects and improve the living conditions of vulnerable communities.

LACE Executive Director, Julius K. Sele, appreciated the LPRC management for initiating the partnership. Sele described the ceremony as a milestone for the Agency.

He said, the Agreement comes at a time when donor funding has significantly declined, making local partnerships increasingly important to sustain LACE’s community empowerment programs.

Sele assured that the collaboration will enable LACE to expand its interventions and continue to provide assistance to underserved communities nationwide.

He praised LPRC’s leadership for recognizing the Agency’s track record in implementing development projects that have transformed the lives of vulnerable Liberians.

Sele disclosed how government funding for the Agency is no longer guaranteed, prompting President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to submit amendments to the LACE Act to the Legislature to strengthen the Agency’s sustainability.

The proposed amendment has already been passed by the House of Representatives, and is awaiting concurrence from the Senate.

He said, LPRC’s decision to partner with LACE aligns with the President’s vision of increasing local support for the Agency through strategic partnerships with state-owned enterprises.

LPRC Managing Director, Amara M. Kamara, described the signing as a “historic milestone for the Company, which marked the beginning of a strategic partnership that will see LACE implement one of LPRC’s flagship CSR projects.

Kamara announced that the first project under the Agreement will be the construction of a Student Center at Grand Gedeh University in Zwedru.

The initiative forms part of LPRC’s 2026 Corporate Social Responsibility Program, which also includes support for health facilities through the provision of hospital beds, anesthesia machines, and other community development projects in Negenbahn, Nimba County, and other parts of the country.

He assured the LACE leadership that the Company would continue to engage the Agency in implementing future CSR initiatives, adding that the partnership is intended to be long-term and focused on delivering tangible benefits to citizens.

The ceremony concluded with both the institutions reaffirming their commitment to strengthen collaboration and encourage other State-owned Enterprises to invest in meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility programs.