Libya's systemic crisis: Beyond leadership changes to institutional redesign
Libya has experienced a summer of significant unrest, marked by persistent power cuts, drone attacks on critical infrastructure, and economic instability, including a spike in the black-market foreign exchange rate. These issues have led to public calls for changes in leadership across various institutions, including GECOL and the Central Bank of Libya. However, Naaman Elbouri, a former banker and current fintech CEO, argues that merely replacing individuals will not resolve Libya's deep-seated problems. Elbouri contends that the core issue is a dysfunctional institutional and operational system that hinders even capable individuals from achieving positive results. He highlights that the system's complicated procedures, unclear responsibilities, weak accountability, and conflicts of interest make effective operation extremely difficult. Elbouri emphasizes that real reform requires a fundamental redesign of state institutions, focusing on how decisions are made, accountability is enforced, and public money is managed, rather than solely on who occupies leadership positions. He suggests that a system based on law, institutions, competence, transparency, and accountability is essential to enable professionals to succeed and to ensure that officials are held responsible for their performance. Elbouri concludes that the true battle is against an entire system that needs to be rebuilt, asserting that only by fixing the system will good people be able to work effectively and bring a
