Liberia: After the Ballot: How William Thompson Is Rebuilding His Political Footprint in Bong District Six

BONG COUNTY — In Liberian politics, an election defeat can sometimes bring an abrupt end to a politician’s visibility. For William Telebo Thompson, however, the period following his unsuccessful 2023 bid for the Bong County District Six legislative seat has taken a different course. Nearly three years after finishing second to incumbent Representative Moima Briggs-Mensah, Thompson remains a familiar figure in communities across the district, maintaining a public presence through education support, community assistance, religious engagements and youth-focused programs.

By Selma Lomax, [email protected] 

Rather than allowing the loss to close the chapter on his political ambitions, Thompson has continued operating through the Thompson Development Alliance (TDA), a platform that has increasingly become associated with his community-development activities.

The approach has kept his name circulating in communities beyond the traditional boundaries of campaign politics, particularly among students, parents, churches and residents who have benefited from programs and assistance connected to him.

Thompson entered the 2023 legislative contest as a first-time candidate on the ticket of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). He ultimately lost to Briggs-Mensah, but supporters argue that the result did not fully capture the circumstances surrounding his campaign.

His candidacy faced complications within the broader CDC political structure. Then-Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, a leading figure of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), which was part of the CDC coalition, is reported to have supported Briggs-Mensah instead. The move was associated with Howard-Taylor’s broader advocacy for increased female representation in the Legislature.

Former Minister of State Nathaniel McGill, another senior CDC figure at the time, was also reported to have supported Briggs-Mensah. Those developments meant that Thompson was campaigning against an incumbent while also dealing with divisions within the political coalition under which he was running.

Despite those challenges, he finished second, establishing himself as a significant political figure in the district and providing the foundation for his continued activities after the election.

Since then, his strategy has centered less on political rhetoric and more on maintaining contact with communities. Education has been one of the most visible areas of that work.

Through TDA, Thompson has continued supporting students, including assistance with tuition and other educational needs. The organization has also maintained its Student Internship Program, an initiative that has become one of its principal youth-development projects.

On September 11, 2026, TDA launched the sixth edition of the Student Internship Program, known as SIP-2026, in Salala City. The latest edition targets outgoing senior students from high schools in the area and continues a program that, according to TDA, has benefited more than 500 young people since its establishment in 2021.

The organization says its cumulative investment in the initiative has now exceeded L$9.5 million. Under the program, participating students receive bank accounts with an initial deposit of L$10,000 and spend a month gaining practical experience at institutions and businesses in Salala District and other parts of Liberia.

At the end of the internship, participants receive Ambassadorial Certificates recognizing their participation. The program is financed by Thompson through TDA, placing his personal resources behind an initiative designed to provide young people with exposure beyond the classroom.

The 2026 launch brought together students, parents, school administrators, local authorities and other stakeholders. Dr. Comfort Nyenetue Cooper, Acting Administrator of the EJS National Dialysis Center at JFK Medical Center, served as motivational speaker.

For Thompson’s supporters, the internship program represents more than an annual event. They see it as part of a sustained investment in young people that continues regardless of whether an election is approaching. That distinction is important in a district where political relationships are often shaped not only by campaign appearances but also by what candidates and aspiring politicians do between elections.

Thompson’s community activities have also extended beyond education. On September 13, two days after the TDA internship launch, he appeared at Hope of Glory Church in Totota as guest preacher during a departmental program.

Speaking on the theme “Anchoring Your Strength in the Lord,” based on Haggai 1:4–9 and 1 Samuel 17:4–9, Thompson encouraged church leaders and members to remain committed to their faith and to depend on God for strength. The appearance also became another opportunity for community engagement.

Before leaving the church, Thompson contributed L$20,000 toward the construction of the church building. The contribution followed an earlier donation of steel rods to the same construction project, according to the account provided by his supporters.

He also pledged to continue assisting the project. The two September events — one focused on young people and the other on a religious institution — offer a glimpse into the breadth of Thompson’s activities outside the formal political arena.

Neither event was presented as a campaign activity. Yet both added to a pattern of public engagement that has kept Thompson visible in District Six during the period between elections. That visibility has also generated discussion about the political landscape in areas where Thompson did not perform as strongly in 2023.

Supporters contend that his continued engagement has improved his standing in communities including Salala and Maimu Towns, areas regarded as important parts of Briggs-Mensah’s support base during the 2023 contest. Such claims remain political assessments rather than established electoral facts, since the next legislative election has not yet provided a new vote against which the two political figures can be measured.

What is clearer is that Thompson has not disappeared from the district’s public life. Instead, he has spent the post-election period building an organization around programs that provide recurring contact with residents. Students encounter the TDA through the internship program; parents become involved through their children’s participation; churches and community institutions receive support; and vulnerable residents continue to receive assistance.

For Thompson, the period ahead provides time to continue building on the network he established before and after the 2023 election. The significance of his activities may ultimately be determined not by individual donations, church appearances or internship launches, but by whether the relationships developed through those activities translate into broader political support when voters next have the opportunity to make their choice.

For now, however, Thompson’s story is one of political persistence.