EFFECT OF BOARD DIVERSITY ON CARBON EMISSION DISCLOSURE OF LISTED ENERGY COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

Growing recognition of the firm's role in environmental change has drawn diverse stakeholders' interest. This has led to increasing pressure on firms to operate in an environmentally accountable manner and to disclose their environmental impacts. This study investigates the effect of board diversity on carbon emission disclosure of listed energy companies in Nigeria, using board independence, board gender diversity, board nationality and board expertise as the independent variables while carbon emission disclosure is the dependent variable. The study uses panel data from seven sampled energy firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) from 2014 to 2023. The study is grounded on stakeholder theory. Data used were collected via annual and sustainability reports of the sampled firms. The results showed that board independence, board gender diversity and board nationality have significant positive impact on carbon emission disclosure. This aligns with stakeholder theory that a more independent and diversified board is better positioned to address various stakeholders' expectations. This study offers several policy implications for corporate boards, policymakers and other stakeholders with respect to improving corporate governance mechanisms and reducing the carbon emission footprint. Considering the findings of the study, it is recommended that corporate governance code regulators should increase the minimum number of independent directors in corporate boards of the energy sector in Nigeria, and policymakers should ensure that carbon emission disclosure is mandatory in order to improve the incidence of transparency and accountability.