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Actualising Agenda 2030 through Sustainability Accounting: Evidence from the Nigerian Manufacturing Sector

Babajide Oyewo (University of Southampton)
Vincent Tawiah (Dublin City University)
Abdulrasheed Zakari (National Youth Service Corps, Nigeria)

Environmental Sustainability and Agenda 2030

ISBN: 978-1-80262-880-7, eISBN: 978-1-80262-879-1

Publication date: 28 March 2022

Abstract

This chapter investigates the relevance of sustainability accounting practice (SAP) in the actualisation of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030. Whilst the SDGs appear general, broad and far-reaching, the sustainable development agenda (SDA) impliedly places responsibilities on member nations to evolve strategies that will ensure the achievement of the SDGs in their respective countries in accordance with national circumstances and peculiar challenges. This brings to bear the need to consider measures to translate the SDGs to realities, especially in developing countries. We use a structured questionnaire to collect data on the application of SAP from publicly listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Secondary data on economic performance were obtained from the annual reports of companies for 5 years (2014–2018). Structural Equation Modelling and Mann-Whitney test were applied to analyse data. Result suggests that whilst the implementation level of SAP by companies is generally moderate, internalities/‘pull factors’ such as market orientation and deliberate strategy formulation significantly determine the sophistication level of SAP. The insignificant effect of the externalities/‘push factors’ (i.e. environmental uncertainty, structure of ownership and control, and intensity of competition) on SAP suggests that external pressure on companies to implement sustainability initiatives is weak. We also find that extensive usage of SAP can sustain economic performance in the long run. The chapter provides empirical evidence that manufacturing companies extensively implementing SATs can sustain economic performance and would likely have enough economic resources to implement some initiatives that are fundamental to the actualisation of the SDGs 2030. The chapter contributes to the sparse literature on sustainability practice in developing countries, and incrementally adds to knowledge on the factors driving SAP in a jurisdiction characterised by lax regulatory framework and weak institutional apparatus on sustainability. As evident in our findings, SAP engenders sustainable economic performance.

Keywords

Citation

Oyewo, B., Tawiah, V. and Zakari, A. (2022), "Actualising Agenda 2030 through Sustainability Accounting: Evidence from the Nigerian Manufacturing Sector", Tauringana, V. and Moses, O. (Ed.) Environmental Sustainability and Agenda 2030 (Advances in Environmental Accounting & Management, Vol. 10), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 105-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-359820220000010006

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

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