‘Exhibit high standards, organisational ethics in performance of duties’
Accountants have been called upon to exhibit high moral standards and organisational ethics in the performance of their duties.
The President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), Professor Kwame Adom-Frimpong, who made the call at the second 2019 graduation ceremony of the institution in Accra last Saturday, said:
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“As accountants, you owe it to your organisation and your profession to adhere to the highest standards of professional integrity and ethics.”
According to him, recent happenings in the banking sector in the country, for instance, highlighted the need for sound governance and ethical behaviour by accountants.
Graduation
The second 2019 graduation ceremony was the 33rd since the inception of the programme by the ICAG.
The event is usually used to formally admit new members into the fold of the institute’s existing membership after satisfying all the needed examination requirements and criteria.
In all, 267 newly qualified accountants were inducted into the institute at the ceremony.
Eighty-four chartered diplomates and eight Accounting Technicians Scheme West Africa (ATSWA) graduates also gained admission to the institute.
The Overall Best Candidate Award was received by Mr Evans Tettey Odjer, while Nana Esi Yamoah was declared the Best Female Candidate, with the Young Candidate awards going to Ms Emmanuella Akosua Amene Appiah, 22, and Mr Huclark Vanderpuye, 20.
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Advice
Prof. Adom-Frimpong advised the accountants to exhibit professional ethics in their career, with a baseline for common decency, respect, fairness and integrity, saying:
“As you embark on your professional career, you need to exercise restraint, be disciplined and objective in your analysis and judgement.”
He also reminded them of their responsibilities towards investors and society at large, adding:
“The fact that you are a chartered accountant does not confer on you an economic advantage over your fellow citizens or to have a life of wealth and power.
Rather, you are entering into a profession that demands so much responsibility and ethics from you.
There should be at least nobility in your work, taking on other people’s financial problems as your own and moving heaven and earth to solve them.”
He said as accountants, they must also exhibit a high level of self-confidence, indomitable determination and an untiring energy to continue till the last, without grumbling or expressing dissatisfaction.
Prof. Adom-Frimpong further urged them to constantly upgrade their skills by reading through programmes and seminar documents by the institute, including the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), taxation and financial management reports.
“Commit yourselves to what you believe to be important. Success will follow from those commitments, in ways you would never have predicted or planned,” he added.