ICPAU holds 13th graduation ceremony

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) held the 13th graduation ceremony in which graduands were awarded with qualifications in the areas of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda, Certified Tax Advisor and Accounting Technicians Diploma courses. The graduands completed their studies between 2020 and 2022 – a period covering eight examinations diets.

There were 998 graduands: 916 CPA (U), 27 CTA, and 55 ATD. Cumulatively, since the inception of each course, 4,805 have completed CPA, 77 have completed CTA, and 1,825 students have completed ATD. Candidates who have not yet completed their courses, but performed best in various subjects will also be awarded at a later date, ICPAU officials said on March 10.

As the economy expands, the role of accountants is needed. To date, the register of CPAs currently stands at appro. 4,000.

CPA Derick Nkajja, the secretary/chief executive officer of ICPAU said that the attainment of ICPAU full membership confers several benefits upon an individual. “Being a CPA enhances one’s credibility, as well as the public’s confidence in the individual,” Nkajja said.

CPAs have international recognition and affiliation with the International Federation of Accountants, the Pan African Federation of Accountants, and the East African Community Institutes of Accountants.

ICPAU is responsible for determining the Uganda professional accountancy education framework, and setting and conducting examinations. This function is executed by the Public Accountants Examinations Board (PAEB) on behalf of the Council.

Like many organisations, the Institute’s examinations calendar was severely impacted by COVID-19. In 2020, only one examinations diet was held out of the three planned. Students also had to pursue alternative methods of learning, such as online classes, with the related connectivity challenges. However, the Council mitigated this by introducing additional examination diets to facilitate students’ progression, and increasing the completion time by two years.