Ghana needs 8,000 accountants to propel economy

Accra, Aug. 14, GNA - Ghana needs 8,000 chartered certified accountants to propel the nation unto the path of growth and to accelerate Ghana's ambition of moving into a middle-income status in the near future.

Mr. Alhassan Haruna, Vice President of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) said, currently, the nation could only boast of between 2,000 and 3,000 qualified chartered accountants, which are woefully inadequate for any nation that desires real growth and development.

He was speaking at the association's annual fun games dubbed: "the family", where over 100 members and their families gathered at the Tesano clubhouse in Accra on Saturday to compete in Tennis, ludo, playing cards, draft and swimming.

It was to move members off their desks to fraternise and strategise for the future.

Mr. Haruna said it was important that the youth was encouraged to take up to the accounting profession to make up for the shortage needed to put the economy on its right footing. He dispelled the notion that accounting students were deliberately frustrated to become chartered accountants so that demand for the few would be high.

Mr Haruna said the professional course was dynamic and human-centred and students were expected to apply whatever they have learnt in a practical situation.

He said the shortage of the professional accountants in the country could not only be due to failure of students to qualify, but also as a result of the continuous exodus of the professionals to developed countries in search of greener pastures.

Mr. Haruna urged owners of small businesses to engage the services of professionals to audit their books saying, "good book-keeping is not for tax purposes only, but also for planning."

The Association has instituted a monthly training programme for members and organisations dubbed: "Continuous Professional Development (CPD)" to update colleagues and other accounts staff to come to terms with the challenges in the profession. ACCA Ghana was established 101 years ago to ensure that professional accountants adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession.