The Paramount Chief of Essikado and President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, has called on chartered accountants to bring to bear their relevance to the country by contributing their quota in the fight against corruption.

He said corruption had become so endemic that it was almost impossible and a malignant threat to the existence of the country.

He said chartered accountants must "give us a better understanding and auditing of our financial resources by supporting businesses".

Understanding

He said that as accountants, they must also understand the social values, motivation and beliefs of society to have a true understanding of what pertains in the Ghanaian society.

"A good chartered accountant must have a profound understanding of social values with motivation, values and beliefs to have a truly meaningful and fulfilling existence to society and yourself," he added.

Speaking at the 2025 accountants conference in Takoradi last Tuesday, Nana Nketsia said the Institute of Chartered Accountants, as an institution, should continue to be built "day by day, brick by brick”, so it can stand on the shoulders of other institutions.

The conference was on the theme: “Leveraging the transformative power of AI — the role of the professional accountant", and is being attended by almost two thousand chartered accountants across the country.

He said it was his humble plea that the Institute of Chartered Accountants, created based on accountability and responsibility, their thoughts and inputs in the administration of the court would go a long way to make an impact on Ghanaian society.

Lack of Chartered Accountants

Nana Nketsia said the lack of enough Chartered Accountants in the country had led to more corruption, with people of dubious character parading themselves as accountants.

He said ICAG should inspire accountability from the ability to accept responsibility rather than pointing accusing fingers at other people.

Touching on Artificial Intelligence (AI), he urged accountants to be wary of its usage in their work since some of the information churned out was not accurate.

Nana Nketsia was confident that AI could never be a threat to the accounting profession.

On galamsey, the Essikado Paramount Chief was worried about its devastating nature and quoted an Akan adage which says "if you urinate into the stream, either your mother or father suffers" -- to wit: when you think you are destroying water bodies, everyone suffers.

The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, encouraged Chartered Accountants to embrace AI for tangible outcomes and highlighted its potential in areas like automated audits. He also commended ICAG for promoting efficiency in the accounting profession in Ghana.

Reiterating the importance of leveraging AI, the Country Managing Partner of Deloitte, Daniel Owusu, urged professional Accountants to invest in enhancing their skills to maximise AI to stay ahead of the curve and enhance their professional development. 

He was speaking on the topic, “The Future of Auditing: Emerging Trends and Technologies”. This topic was one key topics for a panel discussion at the Conference.

The President of ICAG, Augustine Addo, added that Artificial Intelligence is not just coming, it is already here, shaping how we work, how we think, and how we serve. “By 2030, an accountant who lacks a basic understanding of AI will be as obsolete as a typewriter in a world of smartphones,” he added.

Mr. Addo thanked the sponsors of the conference and was optimistic that their invaluable support would go a long way to enhance the efficiency of the work of the chartered accountant.