This is a project being implemented with Municipal Development Partnership in collaboration with the association. The project seeks to enhance the public financial management systems with councils, enhance quality services provided by the same as well as develop the capacities of both the rural and urban council associations in lobby and advocacy with government on local government related issues.

The LACEP Project has through the 2 phases of implementation with a sister project the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), LACEP focusing mostly in the South Western region and CLGF in the North Eastern region of Zimbabwe, with pooling of resources to support national initiatives by the two projects. The first Local Authorities Capacity Enhancement Project (LACEP) kicked off in January 2015 and concluded in June 2017. Seeing the need to deep and the project, the European Union, approved a second grant under the same title whose objectives are:

Specific Objectives of LACEP 2 are:

• To improve the financial management systems, incl. budgeting, reporting and revenue collection of 5 LAs so as to make them more accountable.
• To enhance quality services by ALAs to their members to the benefit of quality service delivery to the local communities by LAs.
• To support other relevant initiatives in the field of LA support in the South Western region.

The Association has benefited from this project:

• To develop advocacy position papers such as the Devolution Advocacy Paper.
• Host Local Government Investment Conferences – A platform for engaged at the highest level in Zimbabwe for all actors in local government.
• Improvement of the association financial management systems.
• Capacity building for UCAZ Forums.
• Leadership trainings for elected leadership.
• Planning and training for Women in Local Government (WLGF) – an effort to increase women participation in local government.