Accountants are the financial stewards of our world who play a crucial role in promoting financial literacy.
This was the sentiment expressed by president of the Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants (FICA) Rajeshwar Singh at the institute’s first celebration of International Accountants’ Day yesterday.
“International Accounting Day provides us with a valuable opportunity to recognise the dedication, professionalism, and expertise of accountants who play a vital role in maintaining fiscal responsibility, transparency and ethical financial practices,” Mr Singh said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad said the day was a key event in the appreciation of what accountants and their field represent for the larger economic structure of a nation.
“The work that accountants do is generally behind the scenes,” Prof Prasad said, “but it is crucial in maintaining financial transparency and accountability, and it is a cornerstone of good governance”.
Prof Prasad highlighted the need for a bond of trust to be forged between accounting professionals and other key stakeholders in a nation’s economy.
“Trust between economic entities, trust between economic players, no matter how many laws and regulations there are; daily transactions, daily trade, daily activities rest on that very important principle of trust,” he shared.
The Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants was founded in 1972 and is now nearing 900 members.
