The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) is introducing a specialized course for performance auditors, particularly those involved in government projects. The initiative aims to regulate and enhance the skills of auditors responsible for scrutinizing the entire lifecycle of government projects, from procurement to monitoring and evaluation. Currently, individuals in this role often acquire skills on the job without standardized qualifications.
The Performance Audit Course is derived from the English-speaking chapter of the African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E), an organization with 26 African member countries, including Uganda. John Bosco Ntangaare, the Director of Education at ICPAU, believes that this course will contribute to improved project performance and ensure better value for money.
The announcement was made during the release of the ICPAU examination results for the November 2023 session. The institute witnessed an overall improvement in performance across the Accounting Technicians Diploma (ATD), Certified Tax Advisor (CTA), and Certified Public Accountancy (CPA) examinations.
- The ATD average pass rate increased from 43.5% in the previous sitting to 51.2%.
- CPA candidates demonstrated an improvement from a 32.6% pass rate to 38.5%.
- CTA candidates had a pass rate of 36.2%, significantly better than the 26.7% recorded in May.
ICPAU expressed concern over the high failure rates and announced plans to investigate the underlying causes. The institute intends to introduce a Master class for instructors to enhance their teaching skills and address the challenges faced by candidates. Ronald Mutumba, the Vice President of ICPAU, highlighted the need for qualified educators and emphasized the positive impact of the government’s decision to transfer the ATD Course examination to the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB). UBTEB is expected to gradually take over the examination function, with continuing students exempted from the first level as they join CPA.
