Standards implementation in Libya: Closing the gap between adoption and execution

Author

GardaWorld Security

By Colin Kelly, Senior Manager Compliance and Assurance, GardaWorld Security - Critical Infrastructure & Government Services

Closing security gaps in Libya infrastructure

Libya’s government is moving toward professional operating standards for security services across the country, no doubt driven by the recent oilfield rounds and (re)entry of major IOCs into the country. But adoption, however real the intent, and effective implementation of those standards are two entirely different things.

Over the past five years, regularly auditing our operations across the EMENA region, including Libya recently during the setup of our branch office, and having worked on projects in many of these markets myself, what has emerged is a consistent pattern: a significant gap between governments’ stated commitment to professional standards and the institutional capability to implement them at scale.

That gap is not a gap in commitment. It’s a gap in execution.

The adoption-implementation disconnect

The operators, contractors, and government agencies I’ve worked with during this period all describe similar implementation challenges:

Clarity on the gap. Government officials recognize the value of professional standards. But when asked what a standard like ISO 18788 or ANSI/ASIS:PSC-1 means operationally for training design, quality assurance, continuous improvement, and staff deployment, the conversation becomes less certain. The standard exists as an aspiration. The operational pathway from aspiration to practice is less clearly mapped.
Capability misalignment. Service providers are available. Training programs exist. But many training offerings are built on a template designed for a different market or operational context. They meet the standard on paper. They don’t always meet operational requirements on the ground. Operators then face a choice between standards compliance and operational efficiency, when ideally those should align.
Quality assurance frameworks. Recognition of a standard doesn’t automatically mean deployment of the quality assurance infrastructure that validates implementation. Government agencies know what the standard says. They have less clarity on how to conduct audits that verify whether the standard is actually embedded in operational practice.
Continuous improvement capacity. Standards implementation isn’t a one-time event. It requires ongoing evaluation, feedback loops, and continuous improvement. The institutions I’ve audited lacked the institutional infrastructure to sustain that work beyond the initial implementation phase.

What bridging the gap requires

Closing the adoption-implementation gap requires three things working together:

First, clarity on what the standard means operationally

Professional standards like ISO 18788 and ANSI/ASIS:PSC-1 exist as frameworks. They describe what compliance looks like at the 30,000-foot level. But in Libya’s operational context, that framework needs to translate into compliance with legislation, specific training requirements, staffing protocols, quality assurance procedures, and performance metrics that actually work for government agencies and international operators.

That translation requires people who understand both the standard and the operational context. It requires someone who can read the standard and say: “This requirement means we need to do X, Y, and Z differently in how we recruit, train, deploy, and evaluate staff.”

Second, institutional capacity to deliver that translation at scale

Understanding the gap is one thing. Building the training programs, quality assurance frameworks, and advisory structures that close the gap is another. It requires designing programs that meet government requirements and IOC operational efficiency simultaneously, not sequentially. It requires delivering those programs across multiple sites and multiple operator contexts. It requires doing so sustainably, not as a one-off engagement.

Third, commitment to continuous improvement beyond initial implementation

Standards become operational practice only when they’re embedded in continuous feedback loops. That means regular audits to measure compliance, mechanisms to surface implementation friction, and structured processes to refine training and operational protocols based on what works and what doesn’t. It also means embedding these high standards into the culture of the workforce, as without them adopting and championing these standards, they fall at the first hurdle.

This is where most implementation efforts stall. The initial adoption is high-profile. Funding is available. Attention is focused. But six months after the initial program, when the real work of embedding standards into daily practice needs to happen, the infrastructure often isn’t there.

The opportunity for service providers

This gap is not a failure of any government. It reflects a universal reality: adopting a standard is policy work; implementing it is institutional work. The two require different skill sets and different timeframes. A true opportunity for a public-private partnership.

For service providers positioned to bridge this gap, Libya presents a genuine opportunity. Government interest is real. The need for implementation support is acute. The operators entering the market face this challenge directly and are actively looking for partners who understand both government requirements and their operational practice.

But that opportunity is only real for providers who can do both things: understand what government is actually asking for, and understand what operational delivery actually requires. Providers who sell compliance-only training, or who sell operational training without attention to government requirements, address half the problem.

The providers who succeed will be those who can integrate both. Who can design training that makes compliance operationally efficient rather than operationally burdensome. Who can help government agencies set standards and measure compliance while helping operators meet those standards without disrupting operations. Who commits to the multi-year work of embedding standards into practice, not just delivering the initial training. I know GardaWorld Securitty can.

That work starts with understanding the gap. It continues with bridging it deliberately, systematically, and at scale.

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