Published: May 19, 2025
MONROVIA – Alexander B. Cummings, political leader of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), is urging young Liberians to break away from what he calls a dangerous cycle of recycling failed leadership, warning that real change in Liberia will only come through a shift in mindset and bold, new thinking.
Speaking at a youth leadership retreat in Congo Town over the weekend, Cummings challenged Liberia’s youth to stop placing their hopes in the same political figures who, he said, have long mismanaged the country.
“Young people must understand that we cannot continue putting the same people who have failed our country time and time again into power and expect change,” Cummings said. “It’s time for a different mindset, a bold new vision, and courageous leadership.”
The one-day retreat, hosted by the ANC’s National Youth Congress under the theme “Forging the Future: Empowering Youth Leadership for Liberia’s Transformative Development,” brought together participants from all 15 counties.
Cummings, a former corporate executive and 2023 presidential candidate, used the event to underscore what he described as a moral and civic duty among young Liberians to actively shape the nation’s political and economic direction.
Earlier in the program, Alieu Kiadii, Secretary General of the ANC Youth Congress, stressed the significance of youth mobilization in Liberia’s democracy, citing voter turnout during the 2023 general elections as proof of the power young people hold.
“History has never been made by the complacent majority. It has always been shaped by those considered commoners—those overlooked and underestimated,” Kiadii said. “Young people must realize their power and take ownership of the future.”
The retreat included interactive breakout sessions on political participation, civic responsibility, and personal leadership development. Organizers say it forms part of the ANC’s strategy to groom a new generation of leaders aligned with its reform-driven platform.
Cummings, who finished third in the 2023 presidential race, continues to position himself as a leading voice for political accountability and economic transformation in Liberia.
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