- Signs MoU with African Professionalisation Initiative (API) to improve and upskill public sector accountants
The Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) and the African Professionalisation Initiative (API) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Gaborone as Botswana takes a significant step in strengthening its public financial management system and enhances accountability in the public sector.
The MoU will address the shortage of professionals in the public sector and enhance transparency as the two organisations collaborate to improve public sector reforms to see growth and professionalisation. It will also strengthen the capacitation and knowledge base of the accounting and auditing professions in the Botswana public sector.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the CEO of BICA, Verily Molatedi, noted that through the API programme, public sector accountants will be trained to better understand public sector administration and public financial management and reporting. “For Botswana, this comes at an opportune time as the country reforms its public financial management to transit from cash accounting to accrual accounting,” she said. Molatedi emphasised the need for public sector accountants to have a deep grasp of public sector processes before they can do any form of financial reporting on its operations.
She noted that the API Programme, accessible through its online platform, will offer professionals high quality training, continuous learning opportunities, and sector-specific knowledge to enhance their accounting and auditing services from the comfort of their homes or workspaces. Also speaking at the signing ceremony, the CEO of API, Evans Mulera, said when completed, the professionalisation will lead to regulation of public sector accountants by BICA because they will also be required to meet certain standards to sustain skills and competencies that ensure delivery of good service to employers and clients.
The API Programme’s attributes include ownership by local accountancy profession regulators and partners, country-specific content, strategic partnerships, adherence to quality standards, accessibility through online platforms, affordability, and recognition of API graduates as public sector professional accountants within their jurisdictions. It is sectioned into five houses that cater for different target groups, namely incumbents without professionalisation, specialised training for chartered accountants (CAs) and certified public accountants (CPAs), students aspiring for a public sector career, micro-credentials for specific programmes, and continuing professional development for public sector professionals.
