Salutations
Our Keynote Speaker, Dr Ian Clarke, the Chairman of the Advisory Board of CTI for East Africa,
Our Guests from the East African Community Institutes of Accountants,
Guest Speakers,
Members of the ICPAU Council,
Members of Committees of the ICPAU Council,
Past presidents and past secretaries of the Institute,
CPAs, and participants, present here (at Imperial Resort Beach) and online,
The media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning and welcome to the 28th Annual Seminar of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda.
Welcoming colleagues from the EACIAs
Before I go any further, I would like to acknowledge in a special way, the presence of our guests from the East African Community Institutes of Accountants. And I’m going to request them to rise to their feet so that we give them a warm ICPAU welcome.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s appreciate them as they wave to the audience;
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Mr Amin Miramago, the CEO of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda,
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Esther Masalla and Emmanuel Makala from the National Board of Accountants and Auditors of Tanzania,
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Isaac Kagiri and Enock Orina from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, and
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Bampigira Lin and Ndayegamiye Hakizimana Andre from the Order of Professional Accountants of Burundi.
Karibuni sana, bienvenu, murakaza neza, welcome to Uganda, the pearl of Africa, still the most beautiful country in Africa. Thank you for coming, and please enjoy the Uganda experience in full measure.
Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our colleague, CPA Grace Kamau, the new CEO of ICPAK. CPA Kamau was appointed as the CEO of ICPAK for a three-year tenure, beginning on the 1st of August this year. Congratulations to ICPAK, and please convey our compliments to CPA Grace Kamau.
Dear Dr Clarke, our Chief Guest, in 2011, the Professional Accountancy Organisations in the East African Community signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement to enhance collaboration and facilitate the movement of accountants within the EAC, in line with the objectives of the EAC Common Market Protocol. As part of the objectives of the agreement, we support each other through participating in regional activities such as this to help our members appreciate the possibilities across the region.
About the Annual Seminar
The ICPAU Annual Seminar is undoubtedly the largest gathering of professionals in Uganda, attracting over 1,500 participants attending in-person and online. The Annual Seminar was introduced 28 years ago to provide an avenue for accountants and other professionals to acquire knowledge in non-technical areas such as leadership, personal finance, business, interpersonal relations, physical wellbeing, the environment, raising children, technology, among others. The goal is to promote the all-round development of professionals in order to enhance their ability to add value to their organisations and the communities.
This year we are discussing empowering change for corporate and personal growth. Change is a certainty. As surely as the sun rises and sets daily, so is change. In relationships, in families, in organisations, in the climate, in the standards, in technology, in healthcare, in communication, you name it, change is everywhere. There is no escape!
The big question then is, how do we cope with it? How do we leverage change for our benefit? Is it possible to stay ahead of change? Can we empower change so that we enhance our value proposition to our stakeholders and to ourselves?
Our keynote speaker is one who has evidently empowered change for development. I believe, Dr Clarke, that you have not only mastered change, but you have also empowered change for your development and for Uganda. We are yearning to hear from you today and I am confident that we will take home many lessons from your experience.
Update from Council
As members may know, we were elected into office this July 2023 when the Institute’s strategic plan was in its tail end. We embarked on crafting a new strategic plan and we invited members to participate through a survey. We received some feedback but we still encourage you to participate when called upon. We are now coming to the end and if you are invited to participate in the validation exercise please avail yourself for the good of our profession, Institute and country.
Recognising CPAs’ Milestones
As I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Institute for the support towards my appointment to the International Federation of Accountants’ Professional Accountants in Business Advisory Group. The Professional Accountants in Business advisory group considers key trends impacting businesses and public sector organisations, and their professional accountants.
I also wish to recognise the following CPAs who have attained significant career achievements.
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Former ICPAU Vice President CPA Ruth Doreen Mutebe was appointed as the President of the African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors,
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CPA Professor Twaha Kaawaase was re-appointed as the First Deputy Katikkiro in the Kingdom of Buganda,
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CPA Francis Kamulegeya was appointed as the Chairman of the Buganda Land Board,
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CPA Patrick Ayota was appointed NSSF Managing Director,
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CPA Kate Kiiza was appointed as Executive Director of dfcu Bank Limited,
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CPA Julia Clare Olima Oyet was elected as Chairperson of the Africa Regional Committee of the International Association of Deposit Insurers,
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CPA Professor Maurice Nalwoga was promoted to professorship, and
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CPA Patricia Ojangole won the 2023 Global Sustainability Leader of the Year Award.
Congratulations to you all, and we encourage members to communicate such milestones with the Institute so that we can celebrate you as a family.
Thanking the Annual Seminar Partners
Ladies and Gentlemen, it would not be right for me to end my address without acknowledging a very important category of organisations for our Seminar. Therefore, I take this opportunity to thank the partners of the 28th ICPAU Seminar for their support. It is because of your generosity that we are able to provide a rich conference experience to our participants.
Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in appreciating, with a round of applause, the following organisations:
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Bank of Uganda
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The Deposit Protection Fund
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The National Social Security Fund
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Financial Intelligence Authority
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Umeme Limited
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Uganda Revenue Authority
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Baker Tilly Hem LLP
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Uganda Reinsurance Company
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CaseWare Africa/AdaptIT, and
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Airtel,
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Ernst & Young,
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Ediomu & Co,
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Grant Thornton,
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KPMG,
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AccWare Solutions Ltd, and
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Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd
Another round of applause ladies and gentlemen, and also for the team which coordinates event partnerships.
Introducing the Keynote Speaker
Ladies and gentlemen, I have an important task to perform before I leave the podium, and that is, to invite our keynote speaker. Our keynote speaker wears many hats. He is a doctor, an entrepreneur, a politician, an educator, a philanthropist, and a farmer.
I will share some information about him.
Dr Ian Clarke and his wife moved to Uganda in the 1980s. Together they built a faith-based hospital, Kiwoko Hospital in Nakaseke district. He later established a General Practitioner clinic in Kampala, which transformed into International Hospital, a leading private hospital, with twenty outpatient clinics and a medical insurance company. In 2005, his dedication to fostering healthcare education also led to the founding of a nursing school, which evolved into the University of Health Sciences and eventually Clarke International University. Inspired by the plight of his fellow residents of Makindye Division, in 2011, Dr Clarke ran for the local government elections and was elected Mayor of Makindye Division. He chaired the Uganda Healthcare Federation from 2018 to 2022. Later, Dr Clarke ventured into commercial farming, establishing a coffee farm as a model for sustainable agricultural practices. He has authored several books and he is a columnist for the Sunday Vision. Dr Clarke holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
This year, Dr Clarke and his wife Mrs Robbie Clarke celebrated 50 years of marriage.
A round of applause, ladies and gentlemen.
One of his establishments, Clarke International University also celebrated its 15 year anniversary this year. Congratulations to you Dr Clarke, upon these milestones.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome with me Dr Ian Clarke to deliver the keynote address.
END
