LICPA Acquires First Headquarters In 89 Years -Names it Victor SBK Tanwone House

The Liberia Institute of Chartered Public Accountants(LICPA) on  Monday, March 14, 2022 broke the 89 years jinx of operating without its own national secretariat when it dedicated a magnificent office building befitting of the institute that is promoting the professionalization of the accounting discipline, ensuring accountability and transparency and promoting good governance in both the public and private sector of the economy, naming the structure in honor of Mr. President Victor SBK Tanwone, the President of the institute in recognition of his stellar leadership quality to rebrand the profession and working exceptionally to bring the project to fruition.

Speaking at the elaborate ceremony while accepting the nomination and recommendation for the building to be named in his honor, Mr. Tanwone said he was very grateful to the Almighty God for guarding and guiding his steps over the years since he took over the affairs of LICPA. He thanked his colleagues for the honor done him and also told them that the recognition goes beyond him personally because it is a testimony that speaks out for doing the right thing and being justly rewarded while one is on earth as well as one of the principles of LICPA to inspire and encourage hard work, dedication, honesty and sincerity.

“Today marks a significant day in the history of the LICPA. We are celebrating the end of working and walking in the wilderness for 89 years. 89 years of being without a befitting home worth to be associated with this great institution. It has been a serious embarrassment to this institute that being among the oldest professional bodies in the subregion, we do not have our own office space. Any time I visit my colleagues and I am taken around to see their secretariats and offices, I feel very embarrassed and ashamed. So, besides the hardworking team I have, I decided to also take this as a personal challenge to me that at the end of my tenure, we should be able to have our own secretariat. Today is the fulfillment of the promise I made when I took over the leadership of this noble organization”, Mr. Tanwone said.

He revealed to the audience that as part of the process to make LICPA an independent and forward looking entity to that will fast track the professionalization of the accounting discipline, his administration was able to secure an advanced printing machine to enable LICPA to print and administer its own professional examination from the World Bank and that other interventions have been received from stakeholders and development partners but the will be unveiled at the conference of the regional body which is slated to commence on Wednesday, March 17, 2021.

Mr. Tanwone extolled the working relationship between the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Ghana who over the years worked very hard to mentor and assist expand the activities of LICPA through technical support, such as teaching and administering professional examinations for its members. In like manner, he also acknowledged the role of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) in the development of LICPA.

While naming the building, the Auditor General of Liberia, P. Garswa Jackson who was represented by a proxy said it was a painstaking and thorough vetting process during the final selection of the name as several names of individuals were put forward for various reasons but after careful deliberation and approval from the council, it was unanimously decided that the building should be named the Victor SBK Tanwone House in recognition of what he brought on the table to take the institution from where it was and leading it towards a destination that will change its fortune.

Mr. Cosme’ Goundete, President of the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) who performed the dedication ceremony said he was exceedingly happy to be part of the history making process in the life of LICPA especially for an institution that was one of the pillars for his emergence as President of PAFA. He called on the leadership and members of the institute not to only take the physical dedication of the building as an achievement but should strive to make use of the structure for the better of the profession which will impact on the socio-economic development of the country.

Earlier, the Executive Director of LICPA, Mr. Hector J. Wuor, welcomed guests to the program and thanked them for the time taken to grace the occasion. He said that the dedication of the new secretariat was a significant chapter in the history of LICPA that has over the years contributed to the economic development of the country, especially in instilling sanity to the financial sector of the economy.

He acknowledged the focus of the leadership under Mr. Tanwone to tap into any available opportunity to project the cause of the institute and said that with the new offices, more improvement and development in the programs of LICPA will follow.

Also in his goodwill message, the Managing Partner with Bicon Inc, Mr. Zinnah B. Sackie enumerated a lot of achievements under various leaderships of the institution among which are the passing of the LICPA Act, the signing of memorandum of understanding between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana(ICAG) to administer professional test in Liberia which will serve as the qualifying test for earning professional certifications in Liberia, qualification of first females, the increment of members from 58 to 83 and firm members from 11 to 14 in good standing, increase in the revenue base tremendously, increment in the increase in the number of students for both ATSWA and professional, provision of training for Government finance officials, expansion of ATSWA outside Montserrado, the dedication of the new national headquarters and the hosting of ECOWAS/ABWA 2nd Joint Congress.

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