ACCA kicked off February with the seventh global public sector conference 

The two-day event held on 14 – 15 February, welcomed 150 guests from around the world and explored the theme, Drivers of Change, through an extensive series of technical and inspirational talks and activities designed to highlight the crucial role of finance professionals in the public sector.

The conference brought together senior figures from governments, regulators, donor agencies and global public sector financial management experts and was a great opportunity for them to network, learn and share best practice.

Jamil Ampomah ACCA director – Sub Saharan Africa, opened the event, saying: ‘It’s an exciting time to be a professional accountant in the public sector. There is a huge opportunity to help shape the public services of the future, achieving value for money and long-term sustainability. Public sector finance professionals need to be able to navigate the present, and prepare for the future to ensure that the best value is obtained from public funds.’

Professor Mervyn King, chairman of the King Committee and chairman of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) delivered a keynote address about the evolution of financial reporting and how it can help increase transparency and accountability in the public sector.

Maggie McGee, ACCA’s director of professional insights presented ACCA’s report, 50 Drivers of Change in the Public Sector, ACCA’s first global report to focus exclusively on identifying the key factors that will change in the public sector and assess how they will shape the future, with ACCA asserting that global changes will have a local impact and governments will need to be at the forefront of tackling their effects in a timely manner.

Kimi Makwetu, auditor general of South Africa also spoke on the importance of audit in the country and Lindy Bodewig, International Public Sector Accounting Standards® (IPSASB) member and chief director, South Africa National Treasury delivered an update on IPSASB®’s work.

Guests also took part in a variety of breakout sessions including Enhancing public financial management in the public sector, led by Vincent Tophoff, senior technical manager, IFAC® and Enhancing accountability – the role of the Supreme Audit Institutions, led by Keto Kayemba, assistant auditor general, Uganda

An inspirational talk by Sibusiso Vilane, mountaineer and expedition leader outlined how professionals can approach becoming their very best for the challenges ahead in the public sector’s changing landscape. There was an eye opening presentation from Patrick Kabuya, senior financial management specialist, World Bank Group who presented on the World Bank’s actions in supporting governments to achieve its two main goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.

The event also featured a passionate panel discussion on corruption in public service. Chaired by Anthony Harbinson, FCCA and ACCA past president, the panellists were Vickson Ncube, chief executive, Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and Stephen Emasu, public financial management expert; and chairman, ACCA Global Forum for the Public Sector, who also closed the event.

Speaking further about the conference, Jamil said ‘It’s important that finance professionals in this vital sector gather together to discuss issues and to understand where the profession is heading. ACCA has been working with public sector organisations around the world for more than 100 years – training accountants and finance teams, building capacity, advising international, national and local bodies and helping governments tackle corruption.’

‘The finance professional, working in the public sector will need to play an even more pivotal role in managing challenges, driving change and seizing opportunities.’ continued Jamil. ‘ACCA believes that accountancy is vital for economies to grow and prosper, which is why we work all over the world to build the profession and make society fairer and more transparent.’