Turn challenges into opportunities—Chilima
Vice-President Saulos Chilima has challenged accountants in the country to navigate and move forward by turning challenges into opportunities.
In his keynote address at the opening of the 2021 Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (Icam) Annual Lakeshore Conference in Mangochi last evening, the Vice-President said while Covid-19 has disrupted the economy, the pandemic has also had a push on how the country has used technology with virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom, Teams, Webex and others becoming the in-thing now.
He said: “This means that despite its adverse effects, Covid-19 has set a platform on our strides to fully embrace digitalisation. This is turning challenges into opportunities.
“As people entrusted with managing resources of this country, you have a very big part and at the heart of the success of the implementation of the MW2063. As a country, we need accountants who are disciplined, ethical and corrupt-free.
“We need accountants who abide by the International Federation of Accountants Code of Ethics. That is what we need. A nation that has no semblance of discipline is on the verge of collapse.”
Chilima, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, also appealed to the accountants to take a lead in the Public Sector Reforms where he said government is pushing for a high-performing and professional public service.
In her remarks, Icam president Phyles Tatha Makumba said to progress as a nation and sail through the turbulent waters of a cracking economy, there is need to develop industries that can employ people and offer them decent wages and salaries.
She said: “Our vision is that both sides reinforce each other. Entrepreneurship leads into employment and employment supports entrepreneurship.
“At the end of the day, when all is said and done, in the light of navigating through the challenging economic bottlenecks, we have to develop the championship mindset.”
The conference, which started yesterday evening and ends tomorrow, is being held under the theme Navigating Through the Rough Economic Terrain: Moving Forward Regardless of the Challenges.
There are about 900 delegates expected to attend physically and virtually.
