The Government of Liberia is increasingly connecting economic empowerment, education and social protection as complementary pathways toward reducing poverty and strengthening Liberian families.
Through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) and the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP), the Independent Proposal Evaluation and Approval Committee (IPEAC) has recommended 194 Enterprise Support and Livelihood Grant applications valued at US$973,000 for funding following the review of 202 applications from Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Rural Montserrado Counties.
The development comes at an important moment for Liberian families, following President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s announcement on free education from Kindergarten/Grade Zero through Grade 6. Reducing education-related costs at the foundational level can ease pressure on parents and guardians while creating greater opportunity for children to remain in school.
Together, these interventions demonstrate how investments in women’s livelihoods and children’s education can reinforce one another: while LWEP strengthens household earning capacity, free foundational education can reduce a recurring financial burden carried by women, men and other caregivers.
194 Enterprises Recommended for FundingDuring the 7th IPEAC Sitting, 202 business plans and applications were independently evaluated. Of these, 194 were recommended for funding, seven recommended for revision and one was unsuccessful.
The approved portfolio comprises 128 Individual Enterprises (IEs), 65 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and one Farm-Based Organization (FBO).
The approved applications have a combined value of US$973,000. Of this amount, US$317,000 will be provided as single payments to the 128 Individual Enterprises, while US$340,000 will be disbursed to the 65 VSLAs and one FBO as their first 50-percent tranche.
Beyond the figures are women, families and communities whose businesses can become stronger sources of household income, savings, employment and resilience.
Reducing the Burden on Women, Men and Families
For many households, income earned through small businesses must simultaneously cover food, healthcare, transportation, business expenses and children’s education. Removing foundational public-school education costs can therefore allow families to redirect limited household resources toward other essential needs and productive investment.
For a woman whose enterprise receives LWEP support, reduced education costs may mean that a greater portion of business earnings can be reinvested in inventory, farming, processing, savings or household welfare. For men and other caregivers contributing to household expenses, the policy can similarly reduce financial pressure and create greater space for families to jointly invest in their children’s education and household economic security.
This creates an important development connection: stronger enterprises can increase household income; reduced education costs can protect that income; and improved access to education can strengthen the productive potential of the next generation.
Advancing President Boakai’s ARREST Agenda
The interventions complement President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, Liberia’s national development framework. The Agenda emphasizes human capital development, education, gender and youth empowerment, livelihoods, infrastructure, governance and inclusive economic growth.
LWEP’s investment in women-led enterprises therefore goes beyond individual grants. It contributes to the national objective of building economically productive citizens and communities capable of participating meaningfully in Liberia’s transformation.
At the same time, expanding access to free foundational education strengthens the human-capital side of that transformation.
When economic empowerment and education are pursued together, families are better positioned to improve incomes today while investing in the knowledge and skills required for Liberia’s future.
Contributing to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
These interventions demonstrate how national programmes can translate the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals into tangible action at community level.
LWEP and the Government’s education interventions contribute particularly to SDG 1 – No Poverty; SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 5 – Gender Equality; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; and SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities.
A woman gaining access to productive capital is not simply receiving a grant. She is potentially strengthening her ability to generate income, support her children’s education, contribute to household decisions, build savings and participate more effectively in her local economy. Likewise, reducing the financial barriers to foundational education can help ensure that household poverty does not determine whether a child enters and remains in the classroom.
Advancing Africa’s Agenda 2063
The same connection extends to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want. Agenda 2063 envisions a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, with higher standards of living, educated and skilled citizens, transformed economies and full gender equality.
Liberia’s investment in women-led enterprises while simultaneously reducing barriers to foundational education therefore reflects a development approach in which today’s economic empowerment supports tomorrow’s human capital.
One Household, Interconnected Development
The significance of the latest LWEP grants is therefore larger than the US$973,000 recommended for the approved enterprises.
Consider a household where a woman operates a small enterprise supported through LWEP. Increased working capital can help her expand the business and strengthen household income. If the cost of sending her children to public school from Grade Zero through Grade 6 is simultaneously reduced through Government’s free-education policy, part of the household’s financial pressure is eased.
The result can be a positive development cycle: stronger enterprise → increased household income → reduced education burden → greater opportunity to keep children in school → more resources available for business and household needs → stronger and more resilient families.
This is where women’s economic empowerment, men’s shared household responsibilities, children’s education and national development meet.
As the Government of Liberia advances the ARREST Agenda, the opportunity is to continue connecting economic empowerment, education, social protection and gender equality so that they collectively improve the wellbeing of families.
The 194 enterprises recommended for funding in Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Rural Montserrado therefore represent more than another round of grants. They represent 194 additional opportunities to strengthen enterprises, household incomes and community economies—and, alongside investments in education, to build a generation better equipped to contribute to Liberia’s transformation.
From the enterprise to the household, and from the household to the classroom, Liberia is investing in people as the foundation of national transformation. Liberia Women Empowerment Project Empowering Women. Strengthening Families. Educating the Next Generation. Transforming Liberia.
