Institute of Geography and Development Studies
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/147
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Item Hierarchical Position and Perceptions of Governance and Performance in Selected State-Owned Enterprises in Sierra Leone(2026-08-21) Kandeh, Ismail BanjaThis study investigated perceptual variations in corporate governance practices and firm performance across various personnel levels in SOEs in Sierra Leone. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional case study survey design for four selected SOEs operating in the financial and utility sectors. It used quantitative methods. Numerical information was collected from key informants in the form of a questionnaire. A total of 144 questionnaires were completed and retrieved from respondents categorized as top, middle, and lower-level personnel. Primary data were collected using structured, self-administered questionnaires with closed-ended questions. A total of 66 questions were generated to assess perceptions of governance and performance. A five-point Likert scale was used, and the questionnaire scores were analyzed using SPSS and Excel. Both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (a one-way ANOVA and Chi-Square) statistical analyses were conducted. The study found perceptual variances regarding governance and performance dimensions across all personnel position groups examined. This observation was supported by both the descriptive (mean = 3.4 and standard deviation = 0.5) and inferential (ANOVA p<0.001 and Chi-square P<0.001) statistical analyses. These perceptual differences and relationships guide top-level personnel in organizations to steer organizational governance and performance more successfully.Item Corporate Governance Compliance by State-Owned Utility Companies in Sierra Leone(2026-06-30) Kandeh, Ismail BanjaThis paper investigates the extent of compliance by two State-Owned Utility Companies (SOUCs) in Sierra Leone with international best-practice corporate governance principles as prescribed by the Commonwealth Association of Corporate Governance (CACG) Code. The CACG Code (1998) is generally considered a benchmark for best-practice corporate governance in commonwealth and some non-Commonwealth countries worldwide. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional case study survey design with a quantitative approach, in which two purposively selected SOUCs, Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) and Guma Valley Water Supply Company (GVWC) were considered. Primary data were collected through a questionnaire survey of the selected SOUCs supplemented with secondary data from document sources. Quantitative survey data analysis was conducted using SPSS and Excel programs. It used simple descriptive statistics to describe corporate governance compliance of SOUCs. Using a compliance checklist of 39 provisions from the CACG Code, the study found that majority (62%) of the responses recorded a negative opinion about standard corporate governance compliance in the SOUCs, and that both SOUCs have an overall weak (47%) corporate governance compliance, with weak compliance at 48% and 46% in EDSA and GVWC respectively. The results indicate that SOUCs did not adhere to international best practice corporate governance, which could signal a lack of investor appeal. It could also be a signal to stakeholders that necessary steps must be taken to address poor corporate governance mechanisms in the SOUCs.Item A Comparative Study of Corporate Governance and Firm Performance in StateOwned Commercial Banks and Utility Companies in Sierra Leone(European Organization for Nuclear Research, 2026-10-07) Kandeh, Ismail Banja; Kandeh, Ismail Banja; Kandeh, Ismail BanjaHistorically, state-owned commercial banks (SOCBs) in Sierra Leone have shown relatively high performance than State-Owned Utility Companies (SOUCs) in the country. While several issues may have contributed to such low performance by SOUCs, this study aims to explore whether and how (if any) compliance with corporate governance practices (based on CACG Code) varies between the high-performing SOCBs and low-performing SOUCs, and whether this variation of compliance causes performance differences. A cross-sectional research design with quantitative approach was adopted. A survey was conducted in two SOCBs and two SOUCs in 2025. Apart from questions on respondent and organizational backgrounds, a self-completion questionnaire comprising 66 questions (governance – 39 & performance -27) was successfully completed and returned by 144 participants. Further, a checklist of 19 items was constructed based on the Acts of Parliament and scored against the CACG Code provisions by the researcher. Using SPSS and Excel Programs, data was analyzed using descriptive (percentages, and mean percentages) and inferential (Pearson’s correlation, and simple linear regression) statistics. The Overall Compliance Index of SOCBs is 68% while SOUCs has an index of 45%. The correlation coefficients (r = 0.996 and r = 0.998) indicate a very strong positive linear relationship between governance and performance. Also, the regression results (adjusted r2 = 0.988, df = 3; p < 0.01) indicate a strong association between corporate governance and firm performance. The study shows that SOUCs’ rate of corporate governance compliance is weaker than SOCBs in most criteria set by the CACG Code, which might have caused low financial performance by SOUCs (40%) and high financial performance by SOCBs (64%). The findings of the study have practical and policy related implications to improve the performance of SOUCs in Sierra Leone.