Sweeping Changes in Libya       

Sep 03, 2025 at 04:05 PM 

 SpecNews

The leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, announced widespread economic and political reforms today including a statement that the country’s large oil profits should be given directly to citizens. 

Libya´s oil chiefe Shokri Ghanem, chairman of state-owned National Oil Corporation NOC (right) and other oil official… 

Gaddafi, who has been in power for 39 years brought up the issue while celebrating his ascent to power on September 1st, 1969 in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city. He spoke positively about the beneftis of privatisation saying soceity would “reformulate itself in a new, free, and democratic way”. 

He laid out a timeframe saying the changes would occur over the next four months, with the distribution beginning at the start of next year. “The implementation will start at the beginning of next year…each Libyan will get directly his share of the oil money.” In a speech to the General People’s Congress, Gaddafi said, “The money that we put in the education budget, I say let the Libyans take it. Put it in your pockets and teach your kids as you wish, you take responsibility.” He added that, “As long as money is administered by a government body, there would be theft and corruption”. 

The majority of Libyans feel that the government hasn’t provided significant benefits to the general population despite the large oil windfall from record prices, and increased foreign investment after emerging from international isolation in 2003. Libya produces about 1.8 million of barrels a day, making it a significant oil exporter. 

The announcements mirror the thoughts of his son, Sayf al-Islam Gaddafi, who has widely promoted reform, and was expected to take over the leadership of Libya from his father until announcing his retirement from politics last month. Colonel Gaddafi who in the past was a strong proponent of socialism is appearing to embrace capitalism. “Libyans, with oil money directly in their hands and bureaucracy dismantled, will set up a genuine popular administration and form a society of the masses ruled by a genuine direct democracy.” 

This is quite a change from the Libya of the 1990’s, which was isolated from the international community after being charged with the bombing of a commerical airline over Scotland, and accused of supporting terrorism. 

One of the most addressed problems in Africa is the corruption that comes with large oil discoveries and the subsequent wealth it brings. Very rarely does it filter down to the rest of the population creating unrest, and dissent, especially evident in the Niger Delta region as the government fights MEND. 

It is a unique approach, and one which may yield interesting results. If there are positive results, could there be a trend followed by other oil-rich nations in Africa? Of course it needs to begin from the top up, and even then it still may not be enough to stop rampant corruption. But with oil prices remaining high, and residents of oil-rich companies expecting the money to filter down, it could be a solution that could appease the masses. 

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