Effectiveness of Corporate Governance Attributes on Disclosure of Non-Financial Information in Developing Economies

Abstract

The study examines how corporate governance attributes enhance disclosure of non-financial information in developing economies using a case study of companies listed on selected Stock Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Corporate governance attributes such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) non-duality, board size, board composition, audit committee independence, block and director shareholdings are examined while controlling for firm size, profitability and leverage. The study adopts a quantitative research approach where panel data is obtained to carry out a comparative analysis of companies listed on stock markets of South Africa, East Africa and Nigeria. The data is collected from annual reports of each company for a period of four years and is analysed to obtain Random- Effects Multiple regression models. Findings indicate that the effect of CEO Non-duality, board size and having a higher proportion of non-executive directors on boards is significant and positive. Block ownership of shares and directors’ shareholdings have a negative effect on disclosure of non-financial information. However, the study does not provide evidence to suggest that Audit committee independence affects non- financial information disclosure. The major contribution of the study is to establish corporate governance attributes that play a vital role in disclosure of non-financial information using a comparative analysis of listed companies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper is the first of its kind in developing economies.

Keywords: Corporate governance attributes, corporate disclosure, non-financial information.

DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/12-4-02

Publication date: February 28^th 2021