Kumasi, May 23, GNA- Ghana needs 3,000 more accountants to enhance the financial sector whiles deepening the nation's economy, Mr Kwasi Asante, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute of Chattered Accountancy (ICA), has announced.

He pointed out that currently there were only 2,000 recognised accountants in the country and that this development does not auger well for the accounting sector in an emerging economy like Ghana. This was contained in a speech read on his behalf at the 13th Annual National Delegates' Congress of the Association of Polytechnic HND Accountancy Students (APHAS) in Kumasi on Friday. It was on the theme; "Surviving the credit crunch era - the role of the HND Accountancy Graduate".

The CEO appealed to school authorities and parents to encourage the youth to take up accounting courses to benefit the nation in the long term in view of the crucial role accountants play in the socio-economic development.

He cautioned accounting students to endeavour to join recognised accountancy bodies to help advance their course, skills, expertise and knowledge for the challenges ahead. Professor Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi, Vice Rector of Pentecost University, advised the youth, especially tertiary students to be wary of the global economic recession which may challenge them to shun integrity in their endeavours.

"We must try to resist attempts by some unscrupulous people to force us into fraudulent deals that could erode the gains and investment made in us", he stated.

Professor Omane-Antwi observed that today's economic environment was unstable, hostile, complex and diversified, noting that this therefore put pressure on tertiary students to continually upgrade their skills to overcome the challenges.

Mr. Noel Nortey, National Predident of APHAS, insisted that the lack of creativity, innovativeness, effective management skills and ability to anticipate customers' needs were hampering effective accounting work and therefore tasked accountants to be up and doing to save their image. 23 May 09