HOW TO BECOME A QUALIFIED ACCOUNTANT

I was often asked, how did you became CA? My answer was simple, 'you must be determinable, dedicated and focus'.

The benefits of  having a professional qualification cannot be overemphasize most especially in financial aspect, where only professional assumed to be relevant in terms of final Accounts preparations.

It is not just enough to have a degree in relevant field but it is very important to be a qualified  because being a qualified Accountant is a portrait of Professionalism in that field.

As a Chartered Accountant you assumed to be an expert in all areas of Accounting because it is believed that you have gone through series of rigorous training and examinations before earning that prestigious ACA title to your name.

Next question, how to become a qualified CA?

Its imperative to know that, in Nigeria, only two Accounting professional bodies were recognized by law to train and issue practicing licence to their members. These bodies are Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. It is mandatory by law that  any individual or group of individuals having desire to practice as an Accountant in public practice must be a registered and licensed member of either of the two Professional bodies.

ICAN was established by an Act of Parliament of 1965 with a mandate to award professional certificate and license to its members who have met her requirements. The Institute prescribe two major routes towards earning the prestigious ACA title. These routes are:

1. Accounting Technician Scheme(ATS); and

2. Professional Student

The institution is an affiliate member of  International Federation of Accountants (IFAC),  Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and The Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa (ABWA). Recently, the institution signed MOU with ICAEW for direct membership of its members.

For the answer, to become a member, one has to register as a student and pass  a required exams based on his qualifications.

All the ATS and Professional exam are on three levels:

ATS

1. ATS I,

2. ATS II

3. ATS III

Each level has four courses making 12 total. To be an ATS student, you must have at least five O' level credit including English and Mathematics. Exams taking place in March and September each year.

Professional

1. Foundation (Knowledge) level

2. Skill  level

3. Professional level

Each level has 5 courses making 15 total. Exams take place within May and November each year. A minimum of Bsc/HND plus NYSC discharge certificates are required for professional student registration.

- To be continued

Danladi Haruna

13th July, 2019