Young chartered accountant shares her dream

PINEHAS NAKAZIKOMEET Julia Shipahu, one of the youngest Namibian chartered accountants, who describes her journey towards qualifying as a professional chartered accountant (CA) as a long one that brought her sweat and tears.

“To become a qualified CA one requires a four-year accounting degree, two years of post-graduate studies at certain South African universities, and three years of training. Two qualifying examinations are also required,” recounts Shipahu, who works as an analyst at Ninety One, previously known as Investec Asset Management.

The 29-year-old is registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN) since 2017. She also registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) in 2019.

She says she registered with SAICA not because it could give her better opportunities than ICAN, but because not many professionals in South Africa understood the strength of the Namibian CA credentials.

She adds that big corporations in Namibia are subsidiaries of companies in South Africa, and many recruitment decisions get approval from their head offices.

“In most cases, graduates still find some recruiters requesting for CA (SA) registration, even though the journey is the same,” stresses Shipahu.

SAICA helps to safeguard the strength of the CA profession on the continent, she adds.

Shipahu described herself as a reserved person, ambitious, and competitive with herself. She has achieved so many accolades, including awarded as the best final year student at the University of Namibia during her bachelor of accounting studies.

She also received rewards as the best student in the accountant conversion course at the University of Cape Town and the best Namibian student at the same university.

Last year, the Namibia Rugby Union appointed Shipahu to the board of directors as the director of finance and the chairperson of the audit and risk committee.

She recently obtained her master’s degree in development finance from the University of Stellenbosch.

“I am hoping to inspire fellow young Namibians to expand their horizons, not only in the world of accountancy but in other careers as well. With information at our fingertips, it’s important to educate ourselves on the different fields of studies available to us today,” says Shipahu.

She notes that the future of careers is changing every day, and urges young people to be aware of what is relevant in the future.

“Whatever path you choose in life, always strive to reach its upper echelon.”

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