Bank Privatization in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Nigeria Deposit Money Banks (1980 – 2015)

Federal-owned enterprises witnessed abysmal performance due to government bureaucracy, monumental waste, corruption and inefficiency. Economic reforms such as privatization, commercialization and liberalization were hereby proffered to address the aforementioned inefficiencies. Hence, this study investigated the impact of privatization on financial performance (return on equity) of selected deposit money banks in Nigeria (1980-2015). The study employed ex-post facto research design. Three banks were chosen from the target population of nine privatized deposit money banks, using purposive sampling technique, namely, FBN Plc, UBA Plc and UBN Plc. Data were sourced from publications of relevant banks’ annual reports, the NSE Factbook, and Bureau of Public Enterprises. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and panel regression analysis. The findings revealed that privatization components (Percentage Share privatized, Age of bank, No of Directors, Incremental asset size and Leverage) had significant impact on financial performance (return on equity) (Adj. R²= 0.463, F(5, 30)= 7.048, p<0.05), of selected deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study therefore recommended that government must ensure that civil order prevails and democracy thrives, so that collectively appropriate designed can be formulated and implemented to meet societal needs and achieve a sustainable future.