‘Support EC to efficiently conduct Election 2016’
Professional bodies in the country, especially chartered accountants, have been urged to bring their expertise to bear on the conduct and collation of results of the 2016 general election.
Advertisement
They could do so by offering themselves as returning officers to ensure that votes were accurately collated and tallied to enhance the conduct of the election, the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), Professor Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi, who made the call, added.
Prof. Omane-Antwi was speaking at the 25th graduation and admission ceremony of the ICAG held in Accra last Saturday.
“Who can better understand issues of over-voting, spoilt ballot papers, etc, better than a chartered accountant? KPMG proved this point at the last election petition hearing. This is our call and we have to stand up and be counted,” he stressed.
He also called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to commence the process of engaging with the institute in that endeavour, adding, “I pray that soon the EC will begin the process of engagement with ICAG in this endeavour.”
The ICAG President said newly qualified chartered accountants were ready to serve the country by supporting the effort of the EC if or when accorded the opportunity.
Two-fold event
The colourful ceremony was in two parts. The first part involved the graduation of 278 qualified chartered accountants (CAs) and 42 accounting technicians who successfully completed their respective professional and technical programmes in March and September this year.
The second part marked the admission of 292 inductees into the membership of the ICAG. They were joined by 45 professional accountants who participated in the chartered diploma specialised courses
Prof. Omane-Antwi advised Ghanaian leaders against partisan bickering and political posturing and counselled them to rather reach across the aisle to work towards the development of the people.
He asked the graduates to be guided by the motto of the institution — “Integrity” — and urged them to contribute their quota to the new image that the institute was pursuing for the profession.
He also called on chartered accountants in the country to rise up and help change the dented image and credibility suffered by the nation as a result of the infamous corruption scandal that had engulfed the Judiciary.
Advice
For his part, the Vice-President, Finance and Administration at the Central University College, Mr Joseph Frederick Odartey Blankson, said the graduands were being sent out as ambassadors of the institute to provide assurance, advisory, accounting and taxation services in the country and beyond.
Using the Roman Empire as a point of reference, he said graduates must maintain their reputation, be skilful, committed, resourceful, discrete, have good appearance and place integrity above everything.
He also advised them to make use of modern technologies and build their capacities through skills development in order to stay ahead of competition.
The Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, for her part, lauded the institute for its contribution to human capital development in the country.
She urged the graduands to desist from corrupt acts that would dent the image of the institution.