Accounting developments in Africa: a study of the impact of colonisation and the legal systems on accounting standards in sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

This article studies the impact of colonisation and the legal systems on the accounting standards in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The countries are grouped according to their colonies and legal systems in order to identify as to under which jurisdictions the adoption of IAS is more common. Consequently, the study reveals that the majority of the countries which were under the British colonisation and legal system, either fully or partly, adopt the IAS contrary to the ex-French colonies. However, Kenya and Mauritania use the IAS although they are administered under the Islamic law.