UEW Signs MoU with AICPA & CIMA to Professionalise Student Training
The University of Education, Winneba School of Business (UEW-SoB), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (AICPA & CIMA), to equip students and alumni with workplace-ready skills.
The MoU will require both institutions to offer a remote, digital self-paced learning programme, namely the CGMA® Finance Leadership Programme.
As part of the collaboration, UEW will make the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme available to current business, accounting and finance students as well as alumni who graduated from the university in the past five years.
The Dean of the School of Business (SoB) at UEW, Prof. Awaisu Imurana Braimah, expressed excitement about working with an influential organisation like the AICPA & CIMA to prepare UEW students to become highly qualified finance and accounting professionals in a competitive job market.
"Ways of learning and working have changed drastically with new and emerging technologies, and this is a great opportunity for our students. They can now access a wider range of resources and programmes, such as the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme, and adequately prepare themselves for the world of work. This will help enhance our graduates’ skillsets and enable them to seize new, exciting career opportunities, which will benefit both businesses in Ghana and the Ghanaian economy," he averred.
Prof. Braimah disclosed that the new agreement is built on the success of previous collaborations with the AICPA & CIMA.
“In 2021, an accounting alumnus of the University of Education, Winneba, Richmond Adu Addo, was awarded a scholarship to study the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme after finishing with a cumulative GPA of 3.85. He successfully passed the Strategic Case Study exam, the capstone exam of CIMA’s CGMA Professional Qualification, in February 2023, a mere twelve months after he first enrolled in the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme,” he stated.
Richmond Adu Addo, who was at the event, expressed gratitude for the recognition and the opportunity offered to him to have studied in the CGMA Finance Leadership Programme. He said the programme had equipped him with the right technical and soft skills to easily navigate the workplace.
"I have already been able to contribute immensely to my organisation, and my growth prospects in the accounting and finance profession are limitless. Going through the programme has also given me even more motivation to build a global career. I hope that my story will inspire students at my alma mater and make them realise that their dreams are possible," he affirmed.
The Country Director for Ghana at the AICPA & CIMA, Mr. Paul Aninakwah, asserted that the world had experienced unparalleled events that had changed the way people work, live, and communicate over the past three years. According to him, this triggered innovation and rethinking for accounting and finance professionals in all industries.
"The aspirations of agility, creativity, and the digital mindset have become a reality for many finance teams. We are very pleased to partner with UEW to offer our CGMA Finance Leadership Programme, a complete digital learning platform to enable its students to acquire the skills, knowledge, and growth mindset they need to meet the challenges ahead," he noted.
Mr. Aninakwah underscored that UEW students would immediately stand out from the crowd with employers and significantly enhance their career options across business, accounting, and finance by becoming CGMA designation holders.
The CGMA® Finance Leadership Programme provides instant online access for aspiring business and finance leaders to gain the financial knowledge and competency needed in the world of business and accounting. It also provides a new guided learning and assessment route to completing CIMA’s CGMA Professional Qualification and earning the CGMA designation, the world's most widely held management accounting designation.
It teaches a mix of financial, accounting, business, people, leadership, and digital skills that are needed to build successful careers with the help of real-life case simulations.
The partnership will enable UEW’s business, accounting, and finance students and alumni to start their CGMA journey during their university studies and start the programme at an appropriate entry-level, building on their existing educational achievements. Upon successfully completing the programme and fulfilling the practical experience requirements, candidates will earn the prestigious CGMA designation and become CIMA members.