Accountancy training symposium
04 Oct 1993MUSCAT — A symposium on accountancy training opened at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday. Commerce Under-Secretary Dr Al Yaqdan bin Talib al Hinai was chief guest at the opening ceremony of the three-day meeting which is being organised by OCCI in co-operation with the Arab Institute of Chartered Accountants.
The opening ceremony began with a speech by OCCI Vice- President Salim bin Said al Araimi, who referred to the important role played by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in upgrading the accountant’s profession and in providing Arab financial expertise for the public and private sectors.
He added: “This symposium comes at a particularly appropriate time. We are now deeply involved with Omanisation and training, and we are making strenuous efforts at every level to speed up the process of replacing expatriates with nationals and creating job opportunities for young Omanis in private sector companies and enterprises. This process involves training in all vocational and professional skills. However, the top priority for professional training must go to accountancy and auditing.”
Al Araimi explained that there were over 7,000 vacant positions in Oman’s private sector at present and that this figure would increase in future. “This gap cannot be met by graduates of the regular school system alone. We believe that the OCCI’s decision to organise symposium of this kind, as well as intensive accountancy courses, will enable large numbers of nationals to fill these positions,” he said.
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, head of the Arab Institute of Chartered Accountants, said that the symposium, which would deal with accountancy training in the Arab world, was undoubtedly “a step in the right direction” because training provided the foundation that would enable an accountant to face the challenges of the age.
He added: “Education and training in the Arab world need to be developed and updated in every area, including accountancy.”
Explaining that he was attcnding on behalf of the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr Al Hinai pointed out that since the beginning of the renaissance the Sultanate had been aware of the fact that the Omani individual was the linchpin of the country’s economic and social development. Hence manpower development and training were high priorities and received strong support from His Majesty the Sultan’s government.
Dr Al Hinai added that the upsurge in commercial, industrial and banking activity that the country was currently witnessing “needs to be accompanied by similar advances in accountancy and financial administration.”
Today’s sessions covered accountancy training in theory and practice, the needs of the market, the performance expected of an accountant and ways of upgrading the profession in general.
Other topics included the role of universities and vocational authorities in accountancy training, expanding the role of auditing departments, professional legislation and regulations in the Sultanate and the steps to be taken to improve the profession’s future status and performance.
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