Sound Corporate Governance and Financial Performance: Is There a Link? Evidence from Manufacturing Companies in South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana

The study aimed to compare the effect of sound corporate governance on manufacturing companies in South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana on financial performance. The study used a purposive sampling method to select 60 manufacturing companies, of which twenty-nine (29) were from South Africa, 17 were from Nigeria, and 14 were from Ghana. The study employed GMM and FMOLS to estimate the effect of corporate governance on the firm's financial performance. According to the study, South Africa has the longest average board tenure at 7.85 years, followed by Nigeria at 4.7 years and Ghana at 3.9 years. The average board tenure was found to have a positive and statistically significant effect on the return on invested capital (ROIC) of the firms in South Africa and Ghana, and a positive and statistically insignificant effect was found for the firms in Nigeria. The study indicated that the firms in South Africa have the highest percentage of female directors at 24.26%, followed by Ghana at 17.8% and Nigeria at 17.3%. The study showed that female representation on the corporate board has a positive and statistically significant effect on all firms' return on net operating assets (RONOA). The study provides policy implications for shareholders, boards of directors, and other stakeholders by enabling them to build confidence in the corporate governance structure of manufacturing companies in the three countries.