Ewuraba Ekua is Chartered Accountant at 19
It is said that, “Success in life is not for those who run fast, but for those who keep running and always on the move.”
This has been one of the motivating factors for one of Ghana’s youngest chartered accountants who is charting a good course for herself, family and the nation at large.
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At age 19, young Ewuraba Ekua Aseda Tandoh, popularly referred to as Kukua, is already a qualified accountant.
For many, even the undergraduate experience is challenging, not to talk about studying for a professional qualification along with the degree programme.
However the young enterprising lady, although can work directly with her qualification, is also pursuing a four-year business programme at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), majoring in Accounting, and will complete next year.
This planned academic structure, according to Kukua, is to enable her to become a champion in the business field, with Accounting and Auditing as her backbone in the not-too-distant future.
The Mirror’s encounter
The Mirror came into contact with Kukua after it was informed that a young lady had broken the record of Christiana Opare, who also became a chartered accountant four years ago at age 21.
Young Kukua passed all the three levels of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) examinations.
The ACCA is a global professional body for chartered accountants. Graduates entering sectors such as finance or business are, in many cases, required to train for the ACCA qualification as part of their graduate scheme.
Gaining that qualification is evidence that the holder possesses skills and knowledge which are in high demand by employers in sectors such as banking, auditing and consulting, as well as other professions such as taxation and law.
The ACCA professional qualification is of a high standard and equivalent to completing a full university degree. Globally, it is a passport to mouth-watering job prospects.
ACCA programme
Kukua told The Mirror that after completing her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Mfantsiman Girls' Secondary School, she discussed with her father on the need to enrol on the ACCA programme, and started right away.
While pursuing the level one programme, she had admission to the UGBS to read Accounting, which she gladly accepted and combined the two.
“There weren’t many sacrifices to be made because I had a scheduled time for myself. I had to cut down on my social life and concentrate more on the programmes I was pursuing because I have been determined from day one.
“Whenever I had a clash on my timetable, I would go for the ACCA class and try and catch up with lectures at Legon,” she said.
She sat for her first set of three papers in August 2015 and passed all. In September 2016, she attempted her second level papers, but failed one out of the six papers, but had a re-sit and went through successfully.
In December last year, she sat for her last five papers in level three and also came out with flying colours.
She is currently offering an attachment at Virtual Point Associates at Spintex to gather a lot of experience, adding that: “I am always chasing experience to build myself up for greater things ahead of me.”
“As an accountant, I want to use my profession to change society for good, and that is what I want people to realise by contributing in their own small way to building the nation,” she emphasised.
Sharing her perspectives on taxation, Kukua said there was the need for people’s conscience to be pricked since that was used in developing the nation.
Parents’ assistance
Kukua is unassuming, but give her any task, and she is willing and ever ready to deliver it on time.
Her story is an inspiration that good things come to those who dream big and work assiduously to make their academic dreams come true.
She told The Mirror that apart from a lecturer at Legon, she owes much of her success to her father, Mr Bernard Oswald Tandoh, an auditor at UniBank.
“As children, my father identified our talents and passion from infancy. And so far, myself and my elder brother, who is also reading an LLB Programme at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), have never regretted any of his pieces of advice and coaching,” she stated.
The young lady is not prepared to rest on her oars, since she wants to pursue a masters degree and specialise in auditing after her four-year programme at Legon.
Her advice to her age mates and colleagues is “to always know what you want in spite of the challenges, and listen to your parents to direct your path”.
Background
Kukua was born on March 18, 1998 in Accra, but hails from Saltpond in the Central Region.
She attended Queensland International School in Accra, then proceeded to Mfantsiman Girls' Secondary School where she pursued Business and came out with 5As, 2Bs and 1C.
She loves to read and research on topics on development, and she is a member of the University of Ghana Accra Campus Club and the African Union Hall, Junior Common Room (JCR).
When she is less busy, Kukua goes out with friends to unwind.
Mrs Laetitia Eba Tandoh, an English teacher at Queensland International School, is the brilliant lady’s mother.
She has an elder brother, Fiifi Tandoh (21), and a younger brother, Yooku Tandoh, who is 10 years old.