Local accounting professionals now have options of qualifications with the recent entrance of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) into the country. The body is a United Kingdom based professional body which offers training and qualification in management accountancy across the world. The body will be offering several qualification levels and programmes including the Chartered Global Management Accountant qualification. CIMA entered the Rwandan ecosystem, which still has a shortage of qualified accountants with estimates putting the one accountant among 30,250 people as of October last year. This is with an assumption that there are currently 400 accountants in the country. This is in comparison to countries like Mauritius which are estimated to have an accountant for every 525 people. Experts project that, ideally, the Rwandan ratio should at least be one in 5000 in the next ten years. CIMA Africa Regional Vice President, Badibanga Promesse, said that as they enter the country, they are well aware of trends such as digitisation which are fast transforming industries and ought to be conveyed across various levels of professional learning. He noted that they were going to work with Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda to update the qualifications of professionals in Rwanda. Amin Miramago, the Chief Executive of ICPAR said that they are keen to work with global certification bodies to improve competencies in the field as well as continuous assessment and improvement. Other gaps in the profession in the country include use of non-professional by the private sector, malpractices as well as fraudulent practices. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
