Veritatis Gaudium: Multidisciplinary Journal of Postgraduate Studies

Telecommunications firms in emerging economies face recurrent service disruptions arising from unstable power supply, fibre-optic cable damage, infrastructure vandalism, cyber risks, and regulatory pressures. This study examined the effect of corporate governance on business continuity at MTN Nigeria, Lagos State, focusing on board risk oversight, governance transparency, and risk committee effectiveness. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The population comprised 210 board and risk committee members, senior managers, department heads, and personnel involved in network operations, business continuity, compliance, legal services, and internal audit. A census approach was used, and 182 usable questionnaires were returned, representing an 86.7% response rate. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and analysis of variance at the 0.05 significance level. Results showed that respondents rated governance and continuity practices above the study’s benchmark of 3.50. Risk committee effectiveness had the strongest positive and significant effect on business continuity (β = 0.362, p < 0.001), followed by board risk oversight (β = 0.321, p < 0.001) and governance transparency (β = 0.276, p = 0.001). The regression model was statistically significant (F = 33.15, p < 0.001) and explained 35.8% of the variation in business continuity (R² = 0.358; Adjusted R² = 0.347). The study concludes that corporate governance significantly strengthens business continuity at MTN Nigeria. It recommends improving the competence, independence, and decision-making authority of risk committees, increasing board participation in continuity planning and budgeting, and strengthening transparent reporting on operational risks and service-restoration performance.

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