Published: October 3, 2025
MONROVIA — Alexander B. Cummings, the former presidential candidate and political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), says Liberia’s escalating drug addiction crisis is less about narcotics themselves and more about the hopelessness suffocating the country’s youth.
Speaking Thursday at the Center for Exchange of Intellectual Opinion (CEIO) on Carey Street in Monrovia, Cummings described substance abuse as a “growing national emergency” fueled by poverty, unemployment and frustration with a system that offers young people few chances to succeed. “This drugs epidemic, the real cost is about hopelessness,” Cummings told a gathering of young people and civil society members. “Young people who feel hopeless, they don’t feel they have a future, they don’t have a job or they don’t have a skill.”
A Growing National Concern
Liberia has been grappling with drug abuse for years, but the problem has taken on alarming proportions. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has flagged West Africa as a major transit point for cocaine and other narcotics headed for Europe. In Liberia, porous borders and weak enforcement have allowed dangerous substances to flow freely into the country.
The result is a surge in users, especially among marginalized youth. A 2022 government-backed survey estimated that more than 47,000 Liberians are affected by substance use disorder, with many concentrated in Monrovia’s urban slums. Communities refer to abandoned addicts as “zogos,” a local slang word for disadvantaged youth who often resort to crime and scavenging for survival.
Cummings said the drug epidemic cannot be separated from Liberia’s enduring poverty. Despite being rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds and iron ore, Liberia remains one of the world’s poorest countries. The World Bank reports that more than half of Liberians live below the national poverty line, and youth unemployment hovers around 60%.
“Liberia is too rich in terms of resources for us to be so poor,” Cummings lamented, continuing that “The resources that are supposed to improve the livelihood of the majority are controlled by a handful of individuals who have stagnated the country for decades.”
Call for Government Action
Cummings urged President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration to take stronger measures against drug trafficking, including tightening border security and targeting powerful networks believed to profit from the trade.
“The government has to play its part by taking double steps to protect our borders to avoid the continuous infiltration of illegal substances that are destroying our youthful population,” he said.
But he stressed that enforcement alone is not enough. Cummings called for rehabilitation and reintegration programs to help young people already struggling with addiction. He warned that without jobs and education opportunities, Liberia will remain trapped in a cycle of poverty, drugs and frustration.
“Too many Liberians go to bed hungry, too many Liberians cannot afford healthcare, too many Liberians cannot find a job,” he said. “Unless the economy improves, the cycle of addiction and hopelessness will continue to undermine the nation’s progress.”
The former Coca-cola global executive turned politician said until intentional actions are taken, the fight against drugs will continue without the desired results.
A Humanitarian Crisis
Drug addiction has increasingly been framed not only as a criminal justice issue but also as a humanitarian emergency. Human rights groups and health advocates have called on the government to shift away from punitive crackdowns and invest in public health responses.
The Ministry of Health has acknowledged limited capacity, with just a handful of rehabilitation centers nationwide. Many operate with donor support, leaving thousands of addicts without treatment options. One case is with the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRR)’s temporary withholding center in Johnsonville, a suburb of Monrovia where a few drug addicts taken to the site are complaining about having barely enough food to eat lest one mentions comprehensive medical care, among other basic necessities.
Cummings’ remarks come amid growing pressure on the Boakai administration to present a clear strategy. Earlier this year, lawmakers debated a National Drug Control Strategy, but implementation has been slow.
Engagement and Advocacy
For months, Cummings has been using intellectual forums across Monrovia as platforms to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse. His advocacy has highlighted the urgency of treating addiction as a national emergency that goes beyond politics. “It’s not political but the plight of the Liberian people,” he said, pledging to continue offering recommendations and constructive criticism of the government.
The ANC political leader also insisted that dismantling Liberia’s drug networks will require political will at the highest levels. “Only the government can go after those big hands that are benefiting from this,” he said.
Struggling leadership at LDEA
President Boakai has dismissed two different groups of heads of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) as each had unfading internal wrangling. For now, an interim leadership headed by Deputy Police Commissioner Fitzgerald Biago is making strides in dismantling hideouts of drug addicts and arresting some key dealers but his leadership remains challenged in terms of having adequate logistics and manpower to move across the country and get the job done.
Many of those who work for the agency are contractors, with barely enough training to handle complex cases. Additionally, government’s pay to officers going after drugs dealers and traffickers is barely enough to feed their families, something critics believe serves as a stumbling block in the fight against drugs. “They are poor and are not paid enough. Those who are doing drug business have the money and can persuade these officers to compromise by giving the amounts of money they have never handled before,” a civil society activist said.
Discussion about this post