Institute of Chartered Accountants Zimbabwe (Icaz) will work with government through the Auditor-General’s office to facilitate a specialised professional qualification targeting public sector accountants and auditors, the institute’s new president Gloria Zvaravanhu has said.
BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
The Auditor-General’s office has been unearthing maladministration, corruption and abuse of office in parastatals and government departments and no action has been taken based on the reports.
“We signed an MoU with Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, an international and well reputed accounting body dedicated to public sector finance and we will work with government through the Auditor- General’s office to facilitate a specialised public sector professional qualification for the benefit of public sector accountants and auditors. The project already has the financial support of International Federation of Accountants (Ifac) and our job will be to ensure that this takes off and is a success,” she said.
Zvaravanhu said the move was aimed at leveraging the “knowledge of our profession to help government in public sector financial management as we are aware that our representation in public sector finance is currently limited”.
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“We need more CAs [Chartered Accountants] or qualified public sector accountants to be in positions to manage and help decide how public money is spent,” she said at the Institute’s winter school in Victoria Falls last Saturday.
Zvaravanhu, who became Icaz’s second female president in nearly 100 years, said there were key economic fundamentals that are screaming for attention saying CAs have a critical role to play in mobilising capital to resuscitate industry through rallying foreign direct investment into the country.
On the global front, Zvaravanhu said Icaz would strive to maintain visibility and have an influencing voice in decision making in Ifac as well as the Pan African Federation of Accountants.
“Our institute is now a global brand with over half of the members practicing in the diaspora. Particular attention will be given to members outside the country through strengthening of chapters so as to develop active channels of support and feedback to and from members,” she said.
Other members of the new presidium for the 2016/2017 year are Martin Makaya (senior vice-president) and Tapiwa Chizana (junior vice-president).