“Expect Agricultural Revolution, Infrastructural Development” -Cummings Lays out Manifesto for “Real Change”

MONROVIA:  As presidential contenders in the ensuing general elections continue to unveil their platform to the people, the Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Alexander B. Cummings has said Liberians should expect a robust agricultural revolution and massive infrastructural development as two of the major cardinal issues in his “Real Change” agenda to resetting the trajectory of “moving Liberia from a sleeping nation to an awaken giant just as he said he will invest heavily in the private sector to drive the process.

Speaking in a live interview on the Ablee-Jay TV on Monday Morning, September 4, 2023, Mr. Cummings said given the socio-economic backwardness of the country which has seriously affected every sector, Liberia needs a quantum leap into prosperity that will guarantee every citizen a decent livelihood and prosperous society, stressing that the radical approach is for any serious government to consider “intentional policy initiative”.

“We see agriculture to be a key sector that will drive development and by this we are talking about a serious agricultural revolution with a clear cut agenda and pathway to make the sector responsive to the food security need of the people where we will produce enough for our consumption and also for the export needs to produce and see the excess to the outside world to generate revenue and plough a good portion of this revenue back to agriculture to further boost our production level.

“Most industrialized countries in the world today have a strong agricultural base to feed itself first and then produce for the external markets to raise revenue and Liberia with a favorable climate, vast land and green forest can be of no exception”, he said.

He said his government for the matter of urgency, will revitalize, recapitalize and reactivate the Agricultural and Cooperative Development Bank(ACDB) to provide loans and other funding options  to farmers on a short, medium and long term basis than is usual with commercial banks in order to boost their production, organize and fund cooperatives for farmers so that they purchase machineries, fertilizers, inputs etc, to invest in extension services by bringing in people with the required skills and expertise with the view of improving yields from farm, etc.

“The intent is to drive towards mechanized farming for mass production of agricultural products on a very large scale that can be used for both local consumption and export of some of the products to the external market in order to generate income. This is in no way forgetting the smallholder farmers, they will be encouraged in whatever way possible to keep them busy with what they are doing to feed their respective families as well as selling the products to also raise income for themselves. But mechanized farming is to add value to our product”, he said.

He also promised to re-establish the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC), the Liberia Cocoa and Coffee Corporation (LCCC) and the National Palm Corporation (NPC) as well as the countrywide agricultural development projects, such as the Bong, Nimba, and Lofa Agricultural Development Projects as a way of further reawakening and adding impetus to the sector “that is practically dead at the moment”

He lamented that with what Liberia is naturally endowed with which puts the country in a comparative advantage than most countries who are feeding themselves and exporting for the external market raking in millions of dollars annually, it is shameful that the country relies on foreign countries to import almost every that she consumes.

On the poor state of infrastructure in the country, Cummings said no significant progress can be made in any sector of the country as long as the infrastructure remains virtually non-existent but that there could be a change in that direction using different approaches and sees the private sector playing a key role.

“Take for example the energy sector. We are struggling with providing electricity to our people, one of the minimum things that a responsible government should provide for its people. We will bring in the private sector to be a strategic player in this sector.

“In many countries around the world the government only regulates but the private sector gets involves in generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It makes the job easier for everybody. We will replicate the same here to manage the power generated from the Liberia Electricity which includes the power from the CLSG lines from Cote d’Ivoire.

“We will also explore the renewable energy sector with the view of increasing the megawatts already being installed in the system and there are investors who are willing to go into this area once there are enabling environment for them. Our government will provide those incentives the investors are looking for to come”, he said.

For roads, Mr. Cummings said the deplorable road conditions in the country that makes the country to be impassable throughout most of the landmass of the country especially during the wet season do not need further introduce as the government has been playing lip service to the critical area that continues to hold the country downward.

He said the solution is not to “be building cheap roads and trying to make political capital out of it but to do a total stock of the unpaved roads as well as areas where additional roads need to be built to open up the country.

Speaking further on infrastructure, Cummings expressed dismay and disappointment that the nation’s ports, especially Monrovia are in such awful state, noting that for these important government’s assets that bring in so much money to the country to be treated the way they are speaks volumes of how unserious the government has been.

“First of all, look at the road that leads to the Freeport of Monrovia, see how deplorable it is and we all know how important the port is to the country. Almost everything we eat in this country is imported and passes through that port. Why can’t we fix it?

“We will dredge it to increase the capacity of holding more ships at a time and then give it a facelift including fixing the road that leads to the facility. We will also do similar things to the Ports of Buchanan, Harper and Greenville”, he said.

Cummings emphasized his proposed deliverables for the first 100 days in office if elected which include but not in particular order, aggressively fighting corrupt and stopping waste with the view of recovering lost assets of the country and putting the money back to the economy to undertake impactful projects, empowering the integrity institutions such as the LACC, GAC, IAA so as to conduct audit on what was inherited from the previous government, appropriating about $20m for Liberian entrepreneurs and other business owners, an additional amount specifically for women in businesses and appointing competent Liberians to positions of trust without recourse to party affiliation or ethnicity.

He named the deliverables as revisiting the tax regime in the country to improving the collection of government’s legitimate taxes, looking at the country’s debt to leverage on the gain thereof as he vowed to ensure that debt owed by the country should be appropriately for the people and revisiting existing concession agreement between government and foreign concessionaires to determine the actual value of the country’s resources.

He also used the occasion to speak on the trending drug issues in the country, promising to decisively address the menace in the first 100 days of his administration.

“In 2017, when I contested the election, I went to 10 communities and 2 of them asked me how I was going to solve the drug issues. Six years later virtually all the communities I went to, people are asking me how am I going to combat the drug scourge. That means the drug issue is alarming and should claim our attention.

“We are going to address the drug issue with more resources as well as working with both government and private institutions to fix the problem. We are going to rehabilitate them, train them and find jobs for them so as to raise income for a decent living”, he said.

The businessman turned politician also told his audience why he decided to adopt the door to door way of campaigning which was a radical departure from what others are doing holding rallies and addressing large gatherings as a way of winning votes. He said the new style he adopted was in line with his mantra that “you cannot be doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result”.

“I think it is paying off and indeed the right approach. Going to the people, sitting with them, knowing their problems and building a personal relationship in the exercise have been rewarding. We intend to continue with this way as it brings us closer to the people and they feel appreciated”, he said.

He said his optimism to win the ensuing general elections is higher than when he initially declared to contest as the more he goes out and talks to the people, the more their enthusiasm in a new Liberia which will be anchored on Real Change becomes lively and that the people see him as the best alternatives in the race.

“The CPP ticket presents a clear choice for the people whether to go backward or be where they are or move steps forward to the future and we represent the future of this country” Cummings said.