New school of accountancy to bridge skills gap

University of Kigali, on Friday, launched a school of accountancy that will offer iCPAR (Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda) professional courses. The launch was held at the Kigali Convention Center and was presided over by Minister Isaac Munyakazi, State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, and other officials that included Auditor General Obadiah Biraro, Prof Manasseh Nshuti, chairman, Board of Promoters at University of Kigali. Munyakazi said that the school of accountancy will bridge the skills gap in the accounting profession and advance quality education of graduates. “We are happy to attend the launch of programs that come to support the vision of education in Rwanda to produce young Rwandans who are so competent to the labor market,” he said. Munyakazi said that today the country doesn’t need accountants who count numbers only but professional accountants who have the skills to practice their knowledge on labour market. “We need graduates with competent based knowledge. Such competence is built by institutions. If other institutions also launch such programs, this will create trust that the country can fight future problems in education,” he added. CPA Mkombozi Karake Bosco, iCPAR President, said that as the country becomes a hub of business, there is need for professional accountants. Mkombozi said that the new school will equip the next generation with skills in accountancy which will serve the government’s vision of having accountancy profession in Rwanda. Prof Udai Paliwal, Vice chancellor of the University of Kigali, said that the school was born to train and produce professional Rwandan accountants. “Like we need doctors to guide us to good health, we need also experts, professional accountants who are the doctors of business. Experts who can plan for business, who can execute the plans, who can monitor the progress, experts who should come on the desk and diagnosis in case of unusual situation in business,”Udai said. Udai noted that University of Kigali joins the efforts of the Government of Rwanda in educating young Rwandans in professional qualifications, pledging to produce professional graduates who can serve regional and international organization. He added that under the centre for economic governance and leadership, the university is ready to create champions of governance who can drive and direct organizations in the right direction to develop faster as the nation on the part of development of economic growth. University of Kigali committed to provide quality education which is comparable with education provided by international institutions. “We are not competing with universities within the country or region. We are competing with international ones. We want to produce good quality graduates. Some of Rwandans cannot afford higher education because it is very expensive. But though our University is a private institution, the profit is not the main objective. We are here to give back and serve the nation that’s why we are we are keeping tuition fee at the basic minimum,”Udai added. University of Kigali offers programs to students and officials from both private and public sector enabling them to obtain various certifications indicative of valuable professional skills such as certified public accountant, Certified investment financial analyst, Association of chartered certified accountants and certified accounting technician. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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New school of accountancy to bridge skills gap