Title: Corporate governance in banks: impact of board attributes on banks performance

Authors: Richard B. Nyuur; Daniel F. Ofori; Believe Q. Dedzo

Addresses: Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, City Campus East 1, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1-8ST, UK ' Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management, University of Ghana Business School, P.O. Box LG 78 Legon, Accra, Ghana ' School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia

Abstract: The study examines the impact of board of directors' composition on firm performance in the Ghanaian banking industry. Using the GMM, fixed and random effect econometric models, the presence of independent non-executive directors (INEDs) on boards is found to significantly and positively contribute to higher bank performance in terms of return on assets. Board size is also found to have significantly influenced banks performance positively with respect to both return on assets and return on equity, but negatively affects net profit margins of banks. The study further establishes that board members' political attachment has a profound adverse influence on firm performance particularly on net interest margin. These findings provide further insights on the impact of board attributes on firm performance in the banking industry, especially in a developing and under researched context. Research and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: corporate governance; board composition; independent directors; firm performance; Ghana.

DOI: 10.1504/AJAAF.2020.109210

African Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, 2020 Vol.7 No.1, pp.24 - 41

Received: 27 Feb 2019
Accepted: 12 Oct 2019
Published online: 01 Sep 2020 *