BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – The Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment has paid subsidies to over 250 Grand Bassa youth who participated in the first phase of the Liberia Youth Opportunity Project.

The Liberia Youth Opportunity Project is a US$10 million initiative funded by the World Bank to improve access to income generation opportunities for targeted youth and strengthen government’s capacity to implement a cash transfer program.

Participants who received compensation cultivated 331 acres of farm projects. They are from nine communities in three of Grand Bassa’s electoral districts and received US$150 each as compensation.  More than 3,600 youths participated in the first phase of the program.

The project coordinator in Grand Bassa, Michael Kpoghomou, said the over 200 participants were directly under LACE’s Productive Public Works and Life Skill sub-component.

“As it was earlier promised as part of the project, we have been able to fulfill our commitment to the project by providing US$150 to each of the 252 beneficiaries in Grand Bassa, which come to the total amount of US$37,800,” Kpoghomou said.

He said the productive youth component of the project in Grand Bassa focused on food crops farming, while beneficiaries were engaged in brushing, clearing and planting activities. He added that up 1,025 kg of beans have been harvested at one of the project sites in Grand Bassa.

However, the coordinator attributed the delay in the disbursement of subsidies to the drop out of beneficiaries in other counties.

“In Grand Bassa County, we were unique; nobody dropped – everybody embraced the project,” he noted.

He further encouraged the young people of Grand Bassa to take advantage of the second phase as the project is intended to empower the youth.

The Productive Public Works subcomponent of the Youth Opportunities Project was launched last year September with the aim to impact 10,000 youths across the country with 50 percent males and females.

The project comprises four components: Pre-employment Social Support and Household Enterprise, Productive Public Works and Life Skills, Capacity and System Building for Cash Transfer, and Project Implementation and Coordination.

The project is being implemented jointly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection and the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment.

Featured photo by Sampson David