Dr Ian Clarke has called upon accountants to be generous with the knowledge they get and continuously cultivate a culture of reading, documenting and recording.
“It’s important to pass the knowledge on to the next generation as we strive for continuity, and most importantly to remain humble as we do this,” he said Wednesday while delivering a keynote address during the 28th Annual Seminar held by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe.
The theme of the Annual Seminar “Empowering Change for Corporate and Personal Growth” reinforces the need to embrace, encourage and cultivate a culture that pursues personal growth alongside business growth as a recipe for multiple levels of success for sustainable development.
Dr. Ian Clarke is a physician, missionary, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and politician in Uganda. Since May 2011, he has been mayor of Makindye Division, one of the five administrative units of the Kampala Capital City Authority.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Clarke shared some of the experiences that have shaped his life and love for Uganda.
“My experiences illustrate truths and principles, a perspective of two different cultures; Irish and Ugandan. I consider myself 80% Ugandan and 20% Irish,” he said.
He urged Ugandans to become the change that they want to see in the world.
“No one likes change, we see this in our homes, the workplace, and even in governance. But we need change to grow, to progress as a human race. Be the change you want to see. The biggest problem with Ugandans is that we talk good but never walk the talk.”
According to him, to be the change, one needs to lead the change.
He said most people have been given a position but they are not implementers and that “politics does not work because most politicians do not see it as their job to lead”.
“We have seasons in life, these seasons should help us adjust to change, and use them as a tool to grow.”
On his part, CPA Derick Nkajja, the Secretary/CEO of ICPAU, said that when properly implemented, change encourages leaders and their staff to work together towards common goals.
CPA Nkajja recommended that all accountants join the various regional groups in a way to build solidarity and ease the activations of the different ICPAU projects.
“ICPAU continues to monitor the policy recommendations that were derived from the Economic Forum to the Ministry of Finance,” he noted, asking the participants to pay more detail to the National Accountancy Framework which has been coined with the help of the National Council of Higher Education.
The Annual Seminar will culminate in the 2023 Accountancy Service Awards. The aim of the awards is to recognise individuals/ entities/ institutions that have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the accountancy profession, in their communities, Uganda and beyond.
“Ultimately, holding the Accountancy Services Awards is a gesture through which ICPAU honours and acknowledges individuals, humanitarians and entities that are at the forefront of supporting and making a profound difference in the lives of individuals in communities and the accountancy profession in Uganda and beyond,” noted CPA Nkajja.
There are eight categories for the 2023 Accountancy Service Awards namely; ICPAU Gold Service Award, CPA of the Year Award, Young Accountant of the Year Award, Finance Team of the Year Award, Accounting Firm of the Year Award, Regional Network of the Year Award, Institutional Partner of the Year Award and Unique Humanitarian Award.
The winners of the Awards will be announced on Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe.
