Liberia Takes Higher Post At ABWA

At its 73rd meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday October 22, 2011 the Governing Council of the Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa (ABWA) elected the Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA) as Vice President of the Association.

Member institutes, not individuals, are voted to elective positions in ABWA. Prior to the LICPA’s election to the post, the Vice Presidency of ABWA was held by ORDRE NATIONAL DES EXPERTS COMPTABLES DU TOGO (ONECCA-TOGO), the national Institute of Chartered and Certified Accountants of Togo, which has now ascended to the position of President of the Association, the position previously held by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Tenure in each position is for two (2) years. In keeping with the tradition of ABWA the Vice President of the Association automatically ascends to the position of President when that position becomes vacant by expiration of the term of office. This means that the Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA) is expected to ascend to the Presidency of ABWA in 2013.

Mr. Tugbeh N. Doe, CPA, Immediate Past President and Council Member of the LICPA and Mr. Nim’ne E. Mombo, Sr, CPA, Council Member and the LICPA’s Director of Training and Education represented the LICPA at the ABWA meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, where the LICPA was elected Vice President of the Association.

Mr. Tugbe Doe is a successful businessman (propriety of Rose Towers, Congo Town, Max Towers, Buchanan Street, and the famous Musu’s Spot in Congo Town. Mr. Nim’ne E. Mombo, Sr. is also Managing Partner of PKF Liberia.

The LICPA representatives made the case for their Institute’s election as Vice President of ABWA. The Institute of Chartered Accountants, Sierra Leone (ICASL) nominated the LICPA for the position and was supported by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICA, Ghana); the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Nigeria (ICAN), the Gambia Association of Accountants (GAA), along with the national institutes of Benin, Cameroun, Mali and Togo. There being no opposition, the Liberian Institute’s election was unanimous.

Prior to the ABWA Council meeting at which the election took place, the two LICPA representatives also participated in the annual weeklong Accountants Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Nigeria (ICAN) which also hosted the ABWA meeting. The two LICPA representatives expressed thanks and gratitude to ICAN for the hospitality of that sister Institute.

In keeping with the Constitute of ABWA, the President of a member institute of ABWA assumes the position to which his home institute is elected. This means that effective October 22, 2011, Professor Francis B. S. Johnson, Sr., current President of the Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA) is also the current Vice President of ABWA.

The LICPA expects to have elections in November 2011. When that happens whoever is elected President of the LICPA becomes the Vice President of ABWA and is expected, in keeping with the tradition of ABWA, to also become the President of the Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa (ABWA) come October 2013.

Following its election to the Vice Presidency of ABWA the LICPA was also placed on a committee of four (along with the Gambia, Ghana and Togo) to revise the Constitution of ABWA, which is the regional arm of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), which is the highest and most authoritative standard setting accountancy body in the world.

ABWA is also one of three regional accountancy bodies in Africa; one for North Africa; another for East, Central and Southern Africa Federation of Accountants (ECSAFA) and ABWA, which encompasses the national accountancy bodies in the seventeen (17) member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as listed alphabetically:

Some member institutes of ABWA are also member institutes of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). These include (alphabetically) the national accountancy institute s of Cameroun, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Benin and Senegal are Associate members of IFAC. All other member bodies of ABWA are currently in various phases of application for membership of IFAC.