The Libyan Electricity Sector: Between Management Stability and Crisis Pressures: A Comparative Analysis of Administrative Capacity and the Resource Gap Before and After 2011; An Analytical Study on Planning Continuity, Expertise Management, Maintenance,

Abstract

This study examines the administrative trajectory of Libya’s electricity sector, with particular attention to the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL), by comparing the period before 2011 with the period that followed. It argues that the persistence of electricity-service problems cannot be explained by technical indicators alone; it is also shaped by the ability of management to sustain planning, manage projects, contracts and maintenance, retain critical expertise, and convert financial and material resources into durable operational capacity. The year 2011 is treated as an administrative and political turning point, without assuming that pre-2011 management was free of weaknesses or that post-2011 management failed in every respect. The evidence indicates relatively greater administrative and contractual continuity before 2011, alongside weaknesses in the separation of policy, regulation and service functions. After 2011, leadership arrangements became more volatile and the sector operated under stronger political, security and institutional pressures, while projects were resumed and generation capacity was added. The study therefore conceptualizes the core problem as a resource–managerial capacity gap: a mismatch between available resources and the organizational ability to convert them into sustainable service capacity. The study proposes reforms centered on planning continuity, clear responsibilities, knowledge and human-capital management, professional contract and procurement management, stronger oversight, and capability-oriented international cooperation.