Equipping Public Servants with Accrual Accounting for Transparency, Accountability and Efficiency � Evidence from Nigeria and Ghana

Objective � This study is based on the social welfare viewpoint of accounting. It examines the benefits of accrual accounting as a replacement for cash accounting as a measure to enhance public service transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the public sectors of Nigeria and Ghana. Methodology/Technique � This study is based on a sample of 375 respondents from the accounting, auditing and budgeting cadres and legislatives of the public sector in Nigeria. In the Ghana perspective, 25 high-ranking public servants in the accounting, auditing and budgeting cadres were interviewed for the study. Three hundred and twenty-six valid responses representing 87% of the samples in Nigeria and the Ghana context were retrieved for analysed via descriptive statistics. Findings � Findings indicate that there is a significant association between accrual accounting and transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the public sectors of Nigeria and Ghana. Novelty � This study has the potential for improving financial reporting in the public sector. It is useful to researchers and academics because its focus on societal accounting is of current interest to accounting professionals and researchers.