AICPA & CIMA call for the skilling of accountants to better support ESG practices in Africa

Attended by delegates from across the globe, the ESG Africa Conference provided an unparalleled platform for industry pioneers and experts to come together and tackle the common challenges associated with embedding ESG practices within organisations. Tariro Mutizwa attended the conference on behalf of AICPA & CIMA to bring attention to the need for an appropriately ESG skilled workforce.

Tariro Mutizwa, ACMA, CGMA, regional vice president, Africa at AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, said: “Africa needs to attract investors to support its economic ambitions and adopting ESG practices will help enable this. However, doing so requires careful management and access to a growing pool of accounting and finance professionals with the appropriate skills and knowledge to embed best practices and build trust. Events like the ESG Africa Conference are key to bringing attention to the challenges and opportunities ESG represents and the need for greater education and action in this field.”

“As the world’s largest body for professional accountants, AICPA & CIMA, we are working to grow this pool of talent with ESG skills by providing educational resources to upskill the profession and support the work our profession does to help organisations and economies grow sustainably.”

To support the education of the accounting and finance community in Africa, AICPA & CIMA provide a number of resources to support professionals on their ESG journey, including:

• Accounting for Climate Resilience, the latest brief in a series of four free interactive “Accounting for” briefs focused on sustainability and business.
  
• Fundamentals of ESG Certificate to help accounting and finance professionals embrace ESG. The programme offers a first step in the learning around sustainability reporting and assurance.
  
• Transformative Skills Pack – Sustainable Mindset (ESG), which aims to kick-start the professionals’ understanding of ESG matters. This is available free of charge for AICPA and CIMA members.
  
• ESG and Sustainable Financial Strategy Course, in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, the course provides professionals with the skills to lead their organisation's response to sustainability issues and understand how to integrate these into decision making and resource allocation.
  
• Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential offered in partnership with the International Financial Reporting Standards, which offers a premier educational opportunity for professionals to level up their skills and understand the link between financially material sustainability information and value creation.

For additional resources, please visit the AICPA & CIMA website.