International Journal of Management, Accounting and Economics Vol. 6, No. 11, November, 2019 ISSN 2383-2126 (Online) © Authors, All Rights Reserved www.ijmae.com 780 Board Independence, Expertise, Foreign Board Member and Financial Performance of Listed Insurance Firms in Nigeria Joshua Samuel Gambo 1 , Nyor Terzungwe, Okpanachi Joshua and Samuel Eniola Agbi Department of Accounting and Management, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria Abstract Most studies on board independence, board expertise, foreign board members and financial performance in Nigeria and other parts of the world showed different results with some showing positive, negative and mixed results. This study examined the effect of board independence, expertise and foreign board member on the financial performance of listed insurance firms in Nigeria. The population of the study comprises 26 listed insurance firms in Nigerian Stock Exchange and 17were selected as sample the size using random sampling technique. The regression analysis revealed that board expertise and foreign members have statistical significant effect on the financial performance measured by return on asset (ROA). Board independence has a significant effect on ROA but do not have significant effect on return on equity ROE. The study therefore, recommend that regulators must ensure that competent independent board members are well represented in the board of directors, and insurance companies should adhere strictly to the corporate governance code of conduct as it affects board expertise and foreign board members so to improve the quality of financial performance. Keywords: Board independence, Board expertise, foreign board member, Firm Size, Leverage, Financial Performance. Cite this article: Gambo, J. S., Terzungwe, N., Joshua, O., & Agbi, S. E. (2019). Board Independence, Expertise, Foreign Board Member and Financial Performance of Listed Insurance Firms in Nigeria. International Journal of Management, Accounting and Economics, 6(11), 780- 794. 1 Corresponding author’s email: babantehillah@gmail.com