ACOA 2015: 1,000 professional accountants in Mauritius to discuss economic development issues in Africa

In May, high-ranking professionals of the African accountancy and finance sector will gather in Port-Louis for the 3^rd Africa Congress of Accountants (ACOA). They will be discussing issues related to their profession and to economic development in Africa.

Mauritius is poised to host a prestigious financial event. From 11 to 14 May 2015, more than a thousand professional accountantsfrom 35 African countries will be at the Swami Vivekananda International Conference Centre (SVICC) in Pailles, Port-Louis. They will be attending the 3rd Africa Congress of Accountants (ACOA), organized by the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and the Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants (MIPA).

The theme of the Congress is “Africa rising – Partnering for Results”. The event will be an opportunity for accounting and finance professionals to share expertise and exchange views with African and international thought leaders from public and private sectors including policy makers and standard setters.

Influential leaders of the accounting and financial sectors as well as African heads of major international accounting associations have already confirmed their participation. All the international bodies will be represented by top guns.

Olivia Kirtley and Fayezul Choudhury, respectively President and CEO of IFAC (International Federation of Accountants), as well as Caroline Kigen Chair of the Professional Accountancy Organization Development Committee (PAODC) of IFAC have confirmed their participation.

The organizers pledge that discussions will not be limited to issues facing the accounting profession in Africa. Other themes related to economic development and good governance are on the agenda. “The congress will be a great opportunity to prove that Africa is synonymous with success and growth,” declares Vickson Ncube, CEO of PAFA.

Plenary sessions are programmed every morning of the three-day congress and several concurrent workshops will be ongoing after lunch.

Public sector accountability and regional cooperation

The inaugural session will focus on the main theme of the congress: Africa Rising, partnering for results in the public and Private sector. The plenary will then be devoted to the second item on the agenda: Developing sustainable national institutions and human capacity to deliver results in public and private sectors.

On Day-two, the themes to be discussed during the plenaries are as follows: Managing Africa’s resources for the benefit of Africans - Public sector accountability and Public sector governance and Reporting in Africa – A push for accountability.

During the plenary on the last congress day, participants will discuss the following themes: Ethics & trust – The war on corruption & Illicit financial flows from Africa and Africa businesses – How are they delivering results in current times for benefit of public?

Concurrent sessions are also on the programme. They will be an opportunity for participants to discuss issues that go beyond accountancy and finance. Discussions in the workshops will focus on themes related to socio-economic development in a wider context.

High profile resource persons and Experienced professionals holding top positions in their area of expertise will act as resource persons during ACOA 2015.