Board Characteristics, Ownership Structures and Gender Diversity on Bank Risk-taking Behavior of Banks in Ghana

Abstract

The study examined the effect of board characteristics, ownership structure and gender diversity on bank risk-taking behaviour in Ghana. The study sampled 15 commercial banks in Ghana over a 10-year period, where data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis. The analysis showed that board characteristics such as board size, the proportion of non-executive directors on the board, board chairperson independence as well as female representation on the board of banks in Ghana are significant determinants of bank risk-taking behaviour. The result shows that while board size, the proportion of non-executive directors on the board and female representation are associated with higher risk-taking behavior. chairperson independence is associated with lower bank risk-taking behaviour. On the ownership variables, the study found that foreign ownership and government ownership were significant determinants of bank risk-taking behavior, while managerial ownership was statistically insignificant. On the significant ownership structure variables: foreign ownership reduces bank risk-taking, while government ownership increases bank risk-taking. Female CEO was statistically insignificant, even though it is positively associated with bank's risk-taking level. The results show that corporate governance variables and ownership structures are significant determinants of bank risk-taking behaviour