ICAN, UNILAG to bridge tech-related skills gap

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN and University of Lagos (UNILAG) have strengthened their partnerships to bridge professional gaps in information technology, data analytics and sustainability reporting. Speaking at the maiden edition of ICAN professorial chair in accounting public lecture, themed: “Embracing the Future: Powering a New Era of Accounting Education and Practice”, […]

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN and University of Lagos (UNILAG) have strengthened their partnerships to bridge professional gaps in information technology, data analytics and sustainability reporting.

Speaking at the maiden edition of ICAN professorial chair in accounting public lecture, themed: “Embracing the Future: Powering a New Era of Accounting Education and Practice”, the university’s vice-chancellor, UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola stressed that the university and the institute have renewed their partnership aimed at equipping young professionals with the required skills to thrive in the technological age.

“To remain relevant and impactful, we must not only adapt to these changes but anticipate and shape them through innovation, continuous learning and ethical excellence. As professionals entrusted with public confidence, we must recognise that knowledge and ethical leadership will make you three pillars upon which sustainable progress is built.

 

“The University of Lagos is happy to partner with ICAN which culminated in the donation of a professorial chair in accounting. It has been in existence for a long time since 2000 but not occupied for any reasons,” she said.

 

The VC represented by Prof. Risikat Dauda, the Chairperson, Board of Trustees, ICAN Professorial Chair in Accounting, added that the accounting profession stands at an intersection of rapid technological transformation, evolving business model and ever-thinking economy.

 

The institute’s President, Mallam Haruna Yahaya expressed the institute’ commitment to research, saying it has offered commissioned research and PhD research grants, valued at N2.5 million and N500,000 respectively, to members.

 

“We are providing a Professorial inaugural grant of N1 million to support eligible members in delivering their inaugural lectures; and donating educational resources like textbooks, computers, and accounting software to Accounting Departments in tertiary institutions, along with various scholarship awards to students,” he said.

 

He stressed that the professionals require skill to meet the cutting-edge technologies that continuously redefine how they capture, interpret, and communicate financial information.

 

“Consequently, these profound evolutions demand an innovative and agile approach to the education and training of accountants. Our imperative is clear: there must be a curricula review, stronger integration of digital competencies, and a renewed emphasis on ethics, governance, and sustainability, the cornerstones of trusted financial reporting, to equip future professionals with the advanced skills, ethical grounding, and intellectual agility required to navigate and ultimately shape this new environment,” he said.