AFROSAI-E Annual Board Review Ignites the Professionalisation Quest

VICTORIA, SEYCHELLES – The African Professionalisation Initiative (API) is proud to announce significant strides in its mission to revolutionize public finance across the continent, following key engagements at the AFROSAI-E Governing Board Meeting and Strategic Review held in Seychelles from May 19th to 23rd, 2025. This pivotal gathering served as a powerful platform for API to reinforce its commitment to fostering accountability, transparency, and good financial governance through the professionalization of public sector accountants.Join API Professionalisation Now: and Become a Professional Public Sector Accountant!

The API staff, in attendance at the AFROSAI-E Board Meeting (Evans Mulera, CEO and Neo Hlatshwayo, Technical Director), seized the invaluable opportunity to engage directly with Auditors General from across the AFROSAI-E region. These crucial discussions revealed a strong and encouraging interest from numerous supreme audit institutions in advancing the professionalization of their staff. Auditors General expressed keen enthusiasm for the API’s programs, recognizing the imperative to equip their teams with the highest levels of competency and ethical standards to navigate the complexities of modern public finance.

This burgeoning interest directly aligns with the API’s overarching vision: to realize an African public sector sustainably capacitated with competent, ethical, and influential professionals who support accountability, transparency, and good financial governance. The API’s strategic approach with foresight, anticipates the evolving needs of African governments, offering a definitive solution to long-standing challenges in public financial management.

At the heart of API’s transformative agenda is the recently launched Professional Public Sector Accountant (PPSA) designation. This continental designation, officially approved by the API Executive Committee on May 9, 2025 , is more than just a credential; it is a declaration of purpose for “One Africa, one professional standard, and one shared destiny“.The designation can be Adopted (Awarded without modification) or Adapted (Modified to align to in country context) by in-country designation awarding bodies.

• Augments Continental Integration & Mobility: By creating a harmonized, trusted standard, the PPSA facilitates the smoother and more reliable mobility of public sector finance professionals across African countries. It directly contributes to the African Union Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services, embedding common continental standards and professional recognition in public service, empowering governments to tap into a shared pool of high-performing talent.
• Drives Operational Efficiency & SDG Delivery: Professionalizing public sector finance functions at scale enhances decision-making, compliance, and accountability, thereby creating institutional efficiencies vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It strengthens fiscal governance, improves budget execution, and boosts service delivery outcomes in critical sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, and climate resilience.
• Bridges National Systems with Global Best Practice: While firmly rooted in national sovereignty and local institutional ownership, the PPSA meets globally benchmarked standards prescribed by respected bodies like IFAC and INTOSAI. This ensures that African public finance professionals are not only nationally recognized but globally respected.

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The momentum for public finance excellence is set to accelerate with a historic event on the horizon. On July 4th, 2025, Liberia will host the very first graduation ceremony for API professionalization programs. These graduates will proudly become the inaugural holders of the Professional Public Sector Accountant (PPSA) designation under the API programme.The API extends its deepest gratitude to the visionary leadership in Liberia for their unwavering commitment to this initiative. Special thanks are extended to the leadership of the Liberia Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA), including President Papin Daniels, Auditor General Hon. Garswa Jackson, and the Controller and Accountant General Elwood Nettey. The dedication of LICPA CEO Charles Kpadeh and former CEO Hector Wuor has been instrumental in making this momentous achievement possible. Liberia’s pioneering role serves as a powerful testament to the tangible benefits of investing in professional public sector finance.

The successful engagements at the AFROSAI-E Board Meeting and the impending first graduation in Liberia underscore the critical need for governments across Africa to embrace the PPSA. This designation is a unifying strategic instrument that reinforces sovereign systems while enabling continental coherence. It repositions public finance as a continental engine of progress and transformation, making every public sector accountant and auditor a key player in Africa’s development.

The API Governing Council Chairman, AG Modou Ceesay, urges all Professional Accountancy Organisations (PAOs), Auditors General, Accountants General, Ministries, Regional economic communities, Development partners, and Public Officers to enroll their staff in API professionalization programs. By doing so, they will not only elevate the competency of their workforce but also contribute to a future where public finance professionals move seamlessly across borders, uphold shared standards, and deliver results with integrity and innovation.This is more than a designation; it is an investment in a more prosperous, transparent, and accountable future for all of Africa.

The African Professionalisation Initiative is an independent non-profit organisation whose primary objective is to strengthen the capacity and knowledge base of accounting and auditing professionals in the African public sector to enhance accounting and auditing service delivery to the citizens of Africa.Our Vision: An African public sector sustainably capacitated with competent, ethical and influential professionals who support accountability, transparency and good financial governance. Our Mission: Grow the capacity of public sector finance management professionals in the African public sector through high quality, relevant and future fit learning programmes.

The African Professionalisation Initiative is a partnership between the accountancy profession (represented by the Pan African Federation of Accountants (“PAFA”)), Accountants General or their equivalent (African Association of Accountants General – “AAAG”)), and supreme audit institutions or courts of auditors (represented by the English (“AFROSAI-E”) and French (“CREFIAF”) language sub-groups of the African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (“AFROSAI”)).

The African Professionalisation Initiative (API) operates not as a Professional Accountancy Organisation (PAO), but as a facilitator and catalyst for the professionalisation of public sector accountants and auditors. This critical role accelerates accountability and transparency within the public sector. Consequently, it increases the number of professional accountants eligible for membership in national PAOs, thereby enhancing their effectiveness. This growth strengthens the accountancy profession at the national level through the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) on the continental level, and with the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) on the international level.Please choose below the house that works for you and drop us a mail – info@professionalisation.africa