Zambia - November 2007
ACCA ZAMBIA PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS FORUM AND BREAKFAST MEETING
Pamodzi Hotel, Lusaka, Zambia, November 2007
ACCA Zambia organised two events to promote ACCA's drive for professionalism and ethics in accountancy; both events focused on the theme of 'Integrity and Professionalism in Finance, Business and Industry in Zambia'.
The first event, an evening forum, was attended by 85 delegates, including two permanent secretaries, from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and from the Ministry of Commerce. Several MDs from blue chip companies also attended the event, along with several CFOs, senior partners, HR directors and lawyers.
Guest of honour, and lead speaker, was Dr Caleb Fundanga, governor of the Bank of Zambia, who implored the financial sector to adhere to the Corporate Governance Guidelines for Commercial Banks and Institutions, explaining that these guidelines offered vital lessons for all parts of the economy, not just finance. Mumba Kapumpa, President of the Institute of Directors, also spoke at the evening event, giving delegates his definition of ethics and detailing the ways in which organisations can follow an ethical code.
In addition to these two prestigious speakers, delegates also heard from Festus Chipunga, chief community education office for the Anti-Corruption Commission, who spoke on the challenge of corruption in Zambia; Chintu Mulendema, President of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants, who spoke on regulating the accountancy profession; and Richard Mazombwe, PwC country leader, who outlined PwC's vision for the future of corporate reporting.
The evening forum was then followed the next day by a breakfast meeting for ACCA senior members, attended by 32 members. Sundeep Takwani, ACCA head of ethics and regulation, first addressed delegates, explaining why ACCA considers ethics so important, emphasising the fact that leaders had to set an example. He was followed by Mwamaka Mulaga, deputy auditor general of OAG, who described how some Zambian Government ministries had recently been restructured in order to improve service delivery and promote professionalism in public service. Also speaking at the breakfast event was Timothy Mushibwe, partner at Deloitte & Touche, who spoke more on ethics, describing it in terms of discernment and discipline.