The Ashanti regional chapter of the Association of Women Accountants, Ghana (AWAG) has been inaugurated in Kumasi.

Subsequently, an 11-member executive with a two-year mandate has been sworn into office to oversee the operations of the association in the region. They are Cecilia Barte Plange, President, Dr Richmell Baaba Amanamah, Vice-President and Nana Frema Gyapon, Secretary.

The rest are Rebecca Achiaa, Financial Secretary, Regina Druwaa Owusu-Asare, Assistant Secretary, Victoria Seledzi, Assistant Financial Secretary, Ellen Awotwi, Public Relations Officer, Abigail Beima Akowuah, Assistant Public Relations Officer.

Others are Yvette Agyeiwaa Osei, Welfare Organiser, Grace Serwaa Boateng and Anita Okyere Appiah, Assistant Welfare Officers.

In her inaugural address, the National President of AWAG, Akua Bonsu-Owu, said AWAG was founded not to gather women accountants under one umbrella but to create a movement that would attract young women into accountancy.

Similarly, she said the association was to ensure retention of its members despite the challenges of career life, build their capacity to soar higher and empower them to advocate change in society.

“Our vision is to be a benchmark for women's professional associations in Ghana and to stand tall on the global stage with the International Federation of Women Accountants”, she said.

The AWAG Ashanti Chapter President, Mrs Bart Plange, in a remark, on behalf of the new leadership, pledged to perform their responsibilities with diligence and commitment towards the growth of the chapter.

She said, “This trend is worrying, considering the critical role accountants play in promoting financial transparency and driving Ghana’s economic growth”.

For his part, the Vice Dean of the KNUST School of Business (KSB), Professor Kingsley Opoku Appiah, who chaired the event, entreated the executives to serve well to justify the confidence reposed in them by their members.

Low female accountants

During a mentorship session as part of its corporate social responsibility with some students of the KNUST Senior High School (SHS), the immediate past AWAG National President, Patience Mawushie Dzikunoo, bemoaned the low number of female chartered accountants in the country.

She said there were about 11,000 registered chartered accountants in Ghana, but only 28 per cent of the total number were women, and therefore advocated more women to venture into the accounting profession to bridge the gap.

She encouraged the female students to disabuse their minds about the perception that accounting is the preserve of men, saying, “We believe women must be supported to go into accounting to contribute their quota towards the field’s growth”.