Develop as we lead
The AWCA is a registered section 21 company that was founded in 2002 around the concept of mutual support and personal development of African Women Chartered Accountants. The founding members were four African women pioneers in the field of accounting - Sindi Mabaso, Sindi Zilwa, Zodwa Manase and Tshidi Mokgabudi. Their success has made it easier for others to follow as a number of barriers have been overcome. In spite of this, there are still a number of challenges regarding transformation in this industry, and AWCA is designed to address both the short and long term challenges.
Aspiring black professionals have the added intricacy of disadvantaged backgrounds and an education which does not prepare them adequately for the rigors of the accountancy profession. The African Women Chartered Accountants Forum (AWCA) espouses the vision of accelerating the advancement of qualified and aspiring African women CAs, recognising the difficulties and obstacles which confront them in their profession.
Vision
Our vision is to “Accelerate the development of African Female Chartered Accountantsâ€
Mission
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to create awareness of the chartered accountancy profession
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to develop a pipeline of African women chartered accountants
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leadership development of existing chartered accountants for key strategic positions
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to contribute to professional, national, economic, financial and gender policy formulation Nungu Resolutions
The board of AWCA is guided by Vision 2015 - the Nungu Resolutions - which are:
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To contribute towards growing the number of Black female chartered acccountants to 3,000
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To raise awareness of the chartered accountancy profession with at least 100,000 school pupils
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To contribute towards 25% of listed companies and 50% of State Owned Entities (“SOEsâ€) employing Black female chartered accountants on their boards and audit committees
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To contribute towards 10% of listed companies and 15% of SOEs employing Black female chartered accountants in executive management
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To ensure that AWCA has a permanent seat on all South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) committees
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To ensure that AWCA has representation on all relevant national agencies tasked with policy formulation
AWCA is a forum with deep convictions driven by carefully considered values, principles and ethics. With African women making up approximately 3% of the 26000 CAs in the country.
AWCA has positioned itself to address the gender and continuing disparities that hamper the growth and advancement of African women in this sector, create an awareness of the profession and serve as a support base for aspirant and qualified African women CAs.
AWCA is committed to preparing aspirant and recently qualified CAs to understand what awaits them in the corporate environment and how to deal with circumstances and situations in an assertive manner. Information is power. In helping young CAs prepare for making informed choices and decisions, they can avoid mistakes which could hamper their personal development and careers.
AWCA is a forum where African women CAs can interact and support each other, network for information sharing and business opportunities, encourage and support aspirant Black women CAs, and begin raising the profile of the profession.
AWCA has also established a bursary fund which provides educational opportunities to African women in pursuing the chartered accountancy profession. The bursary fund is administered under the auspices of the Thuthuka Fund operated by SAICA.
Three Tier Strategy
AWCA has implemented a three tier strategy to realise its vision of empowering African women chartered accountants in southern Africa.
The three tier strategy includes:
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The identification of young talented girls with the potential to succeed in the accounting profession
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Nurturing, training and developing aspiring female chartered accountants
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Leadership development of both qualified and aspiring black female chartered accountants
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Identifying and developing young girls with potential
AWCA identifies and develops young aspirant accountants through the following initiatives:
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School Interventions
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School Visits & Career Workshops
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DST Thuthuka Camps
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Cell C Camps
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Saturday Classes
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Nurture and Train
AWCA actively develops Africa’s future female business leaders.