Tweya launches CIMA

THE Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) aimed at addressing the extreme shortage of accountants in southern Africa, particularly in Namibia, was officially launched on Monday.

Officiating at the event, Deputy Finance Minister Tjekero Tweya called on CIMA to open doors to Namibian graduates from local institutions such as the Polytechnic of Namibia (PoN) and the University of Namibia (UNAM) to pursue their professional courses without starting from the initial level. He said although there was evidence in progress made on skills building in the country, the lingering weaknesses on skills were still acting as bottlenecks on the national performance.”There is, therefore, an urgent need for Namibians to understand the advantages of professional courses as compared to academic ones,” said Tweya adding that in all developed and progressing economies even professors to take on professional courses and become members of professional bodies of reliable continued sources of skills and knowledge.He called on Namibians to change the culture of dependence on only academic qualifications, adding that after attaining a degree or diploma, enrolling for a professional qualification will cement a graduate’s skills better than moving from academic qualification to another.Tweya said Namibians need to raise levels of employer investment in skills and professional training and encourage businesses to use professionally qualified and skilled people more effectively.”We should ensure that more businesses are better informed about the opportunities available to them for investment in professional skills and that they commit those investments as part of their overall business strategy,” the deputy minister said.NampaHe said although there was evidence in progress made on skills building in the country, the lingering weaknesses on skills were still acting as bottlenecks on the national performance.”There is, therefore, an urgent need for Namibians to understand the advantages of professional courses as compared to academic ones,” said Tweya adding that in all developed and progressing economies even professors to take on professional courses and become members of professional bodies of reliable continued sources of skills and knowledge.He called on Namibians to change the culture of dependence on only academic qualifications, adding that after attaining a degree or diploma, enrolling for a professional qualification will cement a graduate’s skills better than moving from academic qualification to another.Tweya said Namibians need to raise levels of employer investment in skills and professional training and encourage businesses to use professionally qualified and skilled people more effectively.”We should ensure that more businesses are better informed about the opportunities available to them for investment in professional skills and that they commit those investments as part of their overall business strategy,” the deputy minister said.Nampa