Title: Audit committees and sustainability disclosure of listed firms

Authors: Nicholas Asare

Addresses: Department of Accounting, University of Ghana Business School, University of Ghana, GPS GA-490-9425, P.O. Box LG 25 Legon-Accra, Ghana

Abstract: This study examines the effects of audit committee characteristics on sustainability disclosures (SD) of listed firms on the Ghana Stock Exchange. This study employs a quantitative research approach, using data from the annual reports of 29 financial and non-financial firms. The Driscoll and Kraay robust estimation is used to analyse 260 firm-year observations. The findings reveal that the overall level of SD remains relatively low. The study finds that audit committee independence and expertise positively influence SD, while audit committee size has a positive effect only on social and governance disclosures. However, audit committee gender diversity has no significant effect on SD. Additional analysis indicates that the effects of audit committee characteristics on SD are stronger among non-financial firms than in financial firms. The study underscores the importance of aligning board committee structures with evolving global standards to support sustainability accounting.

Keywords: sustainability disclosures; SD; audit committee; AC; Ghana Stock Exchange; GSE; Ghana.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCG.2026.156177

International Journal of Corporate Governance, 2026 Vol.16 No.3, pp.235 - 258

Received: 01 Jun 2025
Accepted: 18 Jan 2026
Published online: 07 Sep 2026 *

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