Purpose

Ethiopia has enacted laws on transparency and disclosure of information in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). However, these laws are not strict enough, with the transparency and disclosure practices disappointing in the country. Thus, this study aims to investigate the legal framework governing transparency and disclosure in SOEs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses doctrinal, qualitative and comparative approaches. Domestic legal texts are appraised based on the organization for economic co-operation and development Guideline on Corporate Governance of State-owned Enterprises, the World Bank Toolkit on Corporate Governance of State-owned Enterprises and best national practices. This approach has been further corroborated by qualitative analysis of the basic principles of transparency and disclosure.

Findings

The finding reveals that the laws on transparency and disclosure do not comply with global practices and are inadequate to ensure transparency and discourse in SOEs. They fail to establish appropriate disclosure frameworks and practices at the SOE and state-ownership entity levels. They also indiscriminately subject enterprises to multiple auditing functions and conflicting responsibilities.

Originality/value

To the author’s knowledge, this study is the first legal literature on transparency and disclosure in Ethiopian SOEs. This study assists the state as owner in reforming the laws and uplifting SOEs from their current unpleasant condition. It can also become a reference for future research.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚国有企业透明度和披露的法律问题：全球视角

 目的

埃塞俄比亚颁布了关于国有企业（SOE）透明度和信息披露的法律。然而，这些法律不够严格，透明度和披露做法在该国令人失望。因此，本研究旨在调查国有企业透明度和信息披露的法律框架。

设计/方法论/途径

本研究采用理论、定性和比较方法。国内法律文本的评估依据是经济合作与发展组织的《国有企业公司治理指南》、世界银行国有企业公司治理工具包以及各国最佳实践。对透明度和披露基本原则的定性分析进一步证实了这一方法。

 发现

调查结果表明，有关透明度和信息披露的法律不符合全球惯例，不足以确保国有企业的透明度和话语权。他们未能在国有企业和国有实体层面建立适当的披露框架和实践。他们还不加区别地让企业承担多重审计职能和相互冲突的责任。

 原创性/价值

据作者所知，这项研究是第一篇关于埃塞俄比亚国有企业透明度和信息披露的法律文献。这项研究有助于国家作为所有者改革法律并帮助国有企业摆脱当前的困境。也可以成为今后研究的参考。