¶ Becoming a Chartered Accountant
just focus on your own path . It will have its own challenges , its own ups and downs , but stay focused and persevere until you reach your final destination . Giving up should never be an option . It's a pleasure to be here . My name is Lissuanisou Namatama . I come from Lusaka , zambia .
Lusaka is the capital city of the beautiful country known as Zambia , so I'm here representing the Zambia Institute of Chattered Accountants . I come from a family of three . I'm the last born and only male child in my family . Yeah , so that's my background . Then , in terms of my passion for Chattered Accountants , it's actually started at a young age .
I always had a liking for numbers . Mathematics was my favorite subject in primary school . So the other thing is , I admired the title of Accountant . It's just something that made me feel so good . And I also admired the huge books that you know I would find each time I got to the bookstore .
Yeah , I know most people would be afraid of such huge books , but they thought of just reading and finishing that book was just amazing to me and it's something that I really wanted . So first forward , when I went to grade eight , which is junior secondary , I started taking a course known as bookkeeping .
So in bookkeeping , you basically learn about the principles of accounts and it's something that really , at this point I'd say it started taking shape . But then when I went to grade 10 , which is the next level , senior secondary I unfortunately did not take any accounts of bookkeeping . So it was mainly due to some limitations .
The squalls are , but I did not let this hold me back in terms of my dream of being an accountant . So after high school I started researching to see what program in accounts I can take . I also got some advice from my family , friends and some people who have gotten an accounting and finance background .
So of course , some people are advising again instead of the accountants and not just to something else . Listen to that . But I remain focused . I know what I wanted and I went for it . So my final decision was that I'm going to study the accountants program offered by the Zambian Institute of Chartered Accountants .
In most , I say that was a very good decision I made . I've heard of that misconception that people have that accounts is just about numbers , number crunching , as well as debits and credits . But I'm , being a chartered accountant and , having gone through all the training , I'm here to say that it's more than that .
There's a lot of other services that we are fully equipped to do as chartered accountants . One of them could be internal control reviews and risk management . So this is where you basically assess a company's controls , see if they're working efficient and effective , as well as giving recommendations to management on how they can improve .
On this , we can talk about compliance , as well with laws and regulations . As accountants , we normally stay up to date with all these changes and we offer these as a service to our clients so that they are not found wanting the relevant authority . So it's not just all about the numbers . There's lots of other services that we do offer as chartered accountants .
My favorite aspect the diversity that comes with it . So I'm in audit , I'm an audit senior and you get to deal with a lot of different entities , so I tend to appreciate different industries . I've worked with some mines , I've worked with some manufacturing companies , some retail , as well as automotive .
So each time you go in , you tend to appreciate how things are around there and you get a better understanding , and that's just amazing . So , as a young difference maker , one of the key things is networking with those that are aspiring .
That way , I'll be able to share my story and my experiences with them , like I have done in this case , and then also be able to hear the stories as well , maybe learn one or two things , and at this point I can advise accordingly , based on their stories and just letting them know the diversity that comes with being a chartered accountant .
Like I said earlier , it's not just about number crunching and all that , but there's a lot of other services that can be done by a chartered accountant , as we are fully equipped to take on this role . One thing is through cancelling .
I think it's something that helps , and that way I'll firstly understand the requirements of being a chartered accountant and can also lead them to some . There are some scholarships that are offered as well , so I think there isn't much knowledge , so most people tend not to know how to go about this .
So , as someone who's knowledgeable about this , that's one way of doing so going through communities , spreading the word , as well as offering assistance . In that way , I would say I had fun working with the mine , because this was a different type of assignment .
It was not a financial audit , but it was an ESG audit economic , social and governance audit that we did for one of the largest mines in the world , which is based in Zambia , in the Copper Belt .
I think , as time goes by , we are reaching more in the sustainability side , because this is becoming a bigger thing each and every day , and it's important that we do
¶ Balancing Work and Studies
so . So the biggest challenge that I faced in my journey was that , in 2019 , I started working in audit and , as you may be aware , audit is quite a busy industry . You know you always have these deadlines that you have to meet , but then , come 2020 , I decided to continue with my studies .
So trying to balance the tool working in a busy industry as well as doing my studies was quite challenging . So , but in this case , I had to just sit back , analyze myself , work on my strengths , analyze my weaknesses and maximize on my strengths .
And so , as I did take some sacrificing , I had to sacrifice some things , you know , in terms of time , because time was very limited in this case , so I had to make the most of it , including weekends . You know I would spend most time studying and all that . So , overall , it went on well .
I was able to overcome this challenge , but it still remains the greatest challenge that I faced today . So the first thing I would say is follow your dream . I think that's really important follow your dreams , follow your passion . Secondly , I would say stay focused , never lose focus .
Then , thirdly , I would say is I believe we're all trying to get to a similar destination , but the roles that lead us there are different for each one . So I think it's important not to look at the next person or another person , as that might tear you . Just focus on your own path .
It will have its own challenges , its own ups and downs , but stay focused and persevere until you reach your final destination . Giving up should never be an option .