ACCA equipping its accountants to be tech-savvy

The Association of Certified Chartered Accountants ACCA has introduced major innovations to its flagship qualification to ensure its members and future members continue to be the most valued, up to date and sought-after accountancy professionals globally.

Head of ACCA Zambia Janice Matwi revealed to Techtrends in Lusaka  that as part of the updates to the qualification there will be a new unit on Data Analytics introduced.

Ms Matwi said “The unit will cover big data, frameworks for data mining, different sources of data, different methodologies for data analytics  which include robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as tools to carry out analysis, data visualization and communication.”

She said in Zambia, the global accountancy body has rolled out session based computer exams and stated that the December 2018 exam session was particularly significant as 80% of the ACCA examination was delivered online.

“We aim to ensure that we are equipping our students with the knowledge and skills that they need for the workplace today and the future. As a global professional body, we choose business scenarios that are appropriate to a global audience, ensuring all subject matter is fully accessible and able to be examined in a meaningful way.” Said Ms Matwi

She adds that many of the planned changes in the new syllabus are in the digital arena with technology being integrated throughout the qualification.

The ACCA Zambia head says this will ensure that ACCA students have the awareness and skills that they need to go out into the business world understanding the risks and challenges that are connected to emerging technology.

“One of the critical considerations that ACCA has is our overall aim of delivering qualified accountants that can understand, use, and analyse the impact of technology from a variety of perspectives.”