Local accountants should not fear competition presented by their regional peers, the Auditor General Obadiah Biraro, has said. 

Biraro said skilled local accountants are not at any risk of losing out on work from regional professional accountants.

He urged accountants to observe a high level of standards and professionalism to beat the competition.

"Accounting is not like any other field; in this profession quality is more important than quantity because the tasks they handle require people of high calibre,” Biraro said.

The Auditor General was speaking at the release of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR) professional courses examination results for December at Highland Site Hotel in Nyarutarama, Kigali.

According to the results, two candidates completed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Rwanda and four candidates qualified for Certified Accounting Technician (CAT). 

About 440 candidates sat for CPA and CAT exams at different levels, of which 381 sat for CPA exams and 130 did CAT.

Biraro challenged those who failed the exams to dedicate more time to their studies.

Francis Mugisha, the president of ICPAR, said there is still high demand for professional accountants in the country. 

"This is the first time Rwanda is producing candidates with these qualifications, so we are on the right track,” he said while commenting on the low numbers of candidates who completed courses.

Georgie Iradukunda, an examiner at the institute, said performance was affected by challenges, like the fact that some of the candidates have a Francophone background, "yet the curriculum is in English.” 

ICPAR was established in 2008 to regulate the accountancy profession. 

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