Local accounting firms merge with Mazars

An international accounting and audit firm, Mazars, has officially introduced its brand in Ghana following the successful merger with a local private company.
ET Akonor and Co, the local firm, was selected for the partnership after meeting professional standards conducted through a quality control review process that Mazars requires.

Speaking at the launch in Accra, partnership and international secretary of Mazars,  Mr Keith Savile, said as Ghana planned to make the most opportunity that the oil industry had brought, there was the need to deliver  world class accounting services for the rapid development of the Ghanaian economy.

He said Ghana was overwhelmingly voted by the Mazars Group of Partners in France to start Mazars Ghana.

Although there would not be any change in terms of personnel in ET Akonor and Co, Mr Savile mentioned a number of benefits, which included  professional resources from Mazars, highly advanced systems for delivering services for public interest entities, including multinationals, government departments,and development agencies.

“Mazars Group training resources will also be available to Mazars Ghana, as well as its sector expertise in a wide range of industries and professions, especially in banking and insurance,” he said.

Mr Savile added that Mazars Ghana now would have international coverage under the Mazars Group of partners across the 71 countries it currently operated in and also from its development resources.

“Nigeria took the lead in welcoming Mazars in Anglophone West Africa recently, but Savile said the Group considered Ghana as a very important step in the Africa region to expand into the non-Francophone states,” he said.

Already, he said, ET Akonor and Co had experience of servicing clients in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, adding "but together with the experience of ET Akonor and Co and the resources of Mazars, we will seek to develop the firm in Ghana and a permanent local base in those other countries".

The Chief Executive Officer of ET Akonor and Co, Mr Ernest Toah Akonor Junior, said “Mazars Ghana now has skills in accounting, auditing, tax, and regulatory and compliance matters to provide a seamless, high quality partner-led services to clients”.

He said under Mazars' unique integrated partnership, “Each partner across the world takes part in the group's decision making and therefore, has a vote with all other partners on all important issues”.

By Dominic Moses Awiah/Daily Graphic/Ghana