- Alexander B. Cummings, political leader of the Alternative National Congress, met with Liberian students and community members in Kigali, Rwanda last week on the sidelines of the African CEO Forum, reaffirming his commitment to transforming Liberia's governance and outlining a sharper political strategy ahead of the 2029 presidential elections.
The meeting, attended by more than a dozen Liberian graduate students enrolled at universities across Kigali, gave Cummings the opportunity to engage directly with young Liberians living abroad, hear their concerns about the direction of the country and share the ANC's vision for national renewal.
"You represent the future of our country," Cummings told the students. "We want the opportunity to serve so we can grow the economy, create jobs for you and your friends and relatives, and guarantee every Liberian the right to put a hand on a bowl of rice."
On the 2029 Campaign
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Cummings outlined several strategic priorities the ANC will pursue ahead of the next election cycle, centered on stronger grassroots engagement, a more aggressive rapid-response communications infrastructure and deeper investment in youth mobilization.
He said the party would no longer allow political opponents to define its message or allow false accusations to go unanswered in the public arena.
"We let the opposition define who we are," Cummings said. "We are going to define ourselves this time. When they lie, we will react immediately."
He added that the ANC's communications apparatus, spanning radio, social media, and video platforms, would be built and sustained as a permanent institutional capability, not only as a campaign tool.
A Liberian student in Kigali whose education was made possible there through the sponsorship of Cummings
On Youth and the Diaspora
Cummings placed young Liberians at the center of his political vision, describing them as both the primary beneficiaries of the change he seeks and the essential force needed to deliver it. He encouraged students regardless of party affiliation to join what he described as a broader national movement for good governance.
"You don't have to be an ANC member to support us," he said. "I will be running for president of Liberia, not president of ANC."
He praised the ANC's Youth Congress as the most active and energetic wing of the party and said the ANC would expand its engagement with young Liberians both at home and in the diaspora.
On Liberia's Economic Potential
Cummings renewed his call for a fundamental reorientation of Liberia's economic management, arguing that the country's abundant natural resources, iron ore, gold, diamonds, timber, and a 350-mile Atlantic coastline, should be generating broad-based prosperity rather than enriching a narrow political class.
"Our country is rich. Yet our people are poor," Cummings said. "That is not a resource problem. That is a leadership problem."
He cited agriculture, tourism, housing, and information technology as sectors capable of generating large-scale employment that Liberia's young population urgently needs, and pointed to Rwanda's development trajectory as evidence that African governance can deliver results when leadership prioritizes accountability and institutional discipline.
On Regional and International Relations
The ANC political leader reaffirmed the ANC's commitment to deep regional integration, pledging to prioritize partnerships within the Mano River Union and ECOWAS as a foundation for economic scale and security cooperation, before engaging broader international partners in Europe, North America and Asia.
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Community Recognition
The chairman of the Liberian Community in Rwanda, representing more than 4,000 Liberians residing in the country, expressed gratitude to Cummings for fulfilling a financial commitment to support an ongoing community sports tournament in Kigali, calling it a reflection of the leadership character Liberians deserve in their head of state.
Cummings thanked the students and community leaders for their time, their candor and their continued commitment to Liberia's future.
"We sincerely care for our people and our country," he said. "And we want to change it for the benefit of all Liberians."
For young Liberians, this means they will not only see the ANC at election time, but on campuses, in communities and online, answering lies quickly and involving youth in shaping the message and movement.
