By Jim McFie, a Fellow of ICPAK
A Powerful Mechanism to Foster Dialogue, Enhance Understanding and Deepen Relationships That Drive Collective Progress
The 8th Africa Congress of Accountants took place at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda, from 6th to 9th May 2025. Over two thousand accountants attended from across Africa. It was hosted by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda in collaboration with the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA). Among the attendees were Walid Ben Salah, the Incoming President of PAFA; Jean Bouquot, the President of the International Federation Accountants(IFAC); Keto Kayemba, the current President of PAFA; Lee White, the Chief Executive Officer of IFAC; and Alta Prinsloo, the Chief Executive Officer of PAFA.
On 26 September 2022, the official start of significant accountancy capacity building programs were launched in Accra, Ghana. Ghana and Burkina Faso benefitted from the programs initiated by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The programs were aimed at developing the capacity of the accountancy profession in Ghana and Burkina Faso by supporting the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana and the Ordre National des Experts Comptables et des Comptables Agréés du Burkina Faso. In the programs, IFAC partnered with PAFA: PAFA was the project manager for implementing the pilot projects in both countries.
The start of the accounting program in Burkina Faso coincided with a major change in that country. Four days after the commencement of the accounting program, Ibrahim Traoré (born 14 March 1988) became President of the Patriotic Movement for “Safeguard and Restoration” and six days after that, on 6 October 2022, he became the President of Burkina Faso. A military coup had taken place in the country. When the plotters launched their coup on 30 September, Traoré still held the rank of Captain of the Cobra special forces unit in the Burkina Faso Army. In the direct aftermath of the coup, Traoré was chosen as the new head of the Patriotic Movement for “Safeguard and Restoration”. On 6 October, he also assumed the position of Interim President as “Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces”. Traore ousted interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. At age 37, Traore is currently the second-youngest head of state in the world. During his tenure as Interim President, Traoré has sought to distance the country from its former colonial power, France, and has played an instrumental role in founding the Alliance of Sahel States. From what he has done for Burkina Faso, he seems to be an outstanding patriot and leader.
Going back to the Congress in Kigali, at the meeting IFAC and PAFA reaffirmed their strategic partnership, committing to amplify their collective impact, deliver greater value for their members, and support Africa’s economic transformation and growth. At the Congress, IFAC co-hosted an Expert Forum with the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) in collaboration with PAFA and the African Organisation of English-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E). The purpose of the event was to deepen discussions and explore successful public sector accountancy professionalization initiatives.
Alta Prinsloo, the Chief Executive Officer of PAFA, said: “IFAC has been a key partner in PAFA’s journey from its establishment to today, supporting our efforts to strengthen Africa’s accountancy profession and amplify its contribution to sustainable development. Our collaboration reflects a shared commitment to building a profession that meets Africa’s needs and global expectations, and to ensuring Africa’s voice helps shape the future of accountancy. Together, we are deepening the profession’s impact across the continent and globally.”
Lee White, IFAC Chief Executive Officer, attended a Board Meeting held by PAFA on the sideline of the Congress. At the meeting he said: “Our deepened collaboration with PAFA will enable our two organizations to optimize resources and ensure consistency in global messaging to help our profession speak with one recognized and trusted voice for the benefit of all our members. Separately, in times of turbulent international relations and economic uncertainty such as we are experiencing today, the value of and need for a global profession is especially recognized. A strong accountancy profession remains a harbour of stability and an imperative for all economies globally.”
PAFA is an IFAC Network Partner and Regional Organization, representing the accountancy profession in Africa. PAFA has 57 member organizations in 47 countries in Africa and five international affiliates. PAFA’s vision is sustainable value creation for the citizens of Africa, which is achieved by strengthening the capacity and influence of the accountancy profession to enhance trade, the quality of services, and trust in institutions.
Relating back to the pilot programs for the development of the accountancy profession in Burkina Faso and Ghana, at the Congress, IFAC announced that it is expanding its efforts to strengthen public sector accountancy in Africa with the support of a $1M Grant from the Global Fund with private sector support. This money is available irrespective of the cuts in finance for USAID. Adda Faye, Chief Financial Officer at the Global Fund said: “The Global Fund invests in strategic partnerships with organizations such as IFAC and PAFA to help countries strengthen their public health systems, making them more transparent, efficient, and self-sustaining. These investments not only enhance the impact of health outcomes but also contribute to the development of resilient and sustainable health systems. Our partnership is a demonstration of the Global Fund’s commitment to aid effectiveness and long-term sustainability of our programs. We are proud to continue our collaboration with IFAC and PAFA in driving progress—supporting countries in strengthening public financial management through well-equipped and capable human resources.”
Over the next two years, the program will continue activities in Burkina Faso and Ghana and expand to Tanzania and Togo. IFAC, with the help of the grant and its long-time collaborator in the region, PAFA, will strengthen professional accountancy organizations (PAOs), develop the public sector accountancy workforce, and improve public financial management (PFM) systems in all four countries. Lee White stated that: “This grant, with the implementation support of our partner PAFA, will allow us to continue to address the shortage of qualified professionals in the public sector by developing and implementing comprehensive and sustainable training programs that build technical expertise, ethical standards, and leadership skills. Professionals with this background contribute to better PFM and their leaders in the fight against corruption on the continent.”
On 19 and 20 August 2025, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK), IFAC and PAFA will co-host IFAC Connect in Nairobi. IFAC Connect brings together professional bodies, professional service firms, standard setters, regulators and the business and investor communities to drive high quality and decision-useful corporate reporting, governance and business practices to respond to new risks and opportunities. It consists of an annual series of 1 to 1.5-day interactive events focused on a global agenda which are then tailored to the priorities and interests of each region and the local audience. Attendance at IFAC Connect events is by invitation only. The meetings provide a unique platform for sharing global and regional business intelligence, enabling the accountancy profession to engage and collaborate with key stakeholders to bring about transformation. IFAC claims that they are also a dynamic and collaborative regional networking initiative, catalyzing ongoing collaboration among IFAC member organizations and wider accountancy, finance, business and policy makers in regions. In addition, they are a powerful mechanism to foster dialogue, enhance understanding and deepen relationships that drive collective progress, fostering and broadening the dialogue to reflect the diverse perspectives and insights of national and international stakeholders.
Try to make sure you are invited to the IFAC Connect in August this year.
