WeCAN seeks to advance female accountants issues

Women Chartered Accountants Network (WeCAN), a committee of female members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ), has implored fellow chartered accountants to become part of the ICAZ and the network in order to increase their representation and ensure issues affecting them in the accounting profession are addressed and their voices amplified.

The call was made by WeCan chairperson, Janice Sambaza at the WeCAN Harare Chapter launch on Friday. The conference was dubbed “Bloom where you are planted”.

“As WeCAN when we started, 5 percent of our total membership were women and we are now sitting at 30 percent and our aim is to increase women representation in terms of membership to 50 percent,” she said.

Mrs Sambaza is a qualified chartered accountant based in South Africa, and she currently sits on the ICAZ council, WeCAN committee and ICAZ South Africa Chapter Committee.

She is a co-founder of Women Capital Company(wCap), a business focused on providing capital and advisory services to women-owned and women-led businesses in Zambia.

Moreover, she is also the founder and managing director of Ivhu Advisors, a boutique advisory firm based in South Africa, with the aim of empowering and promoting the growth and self-sustenance of women-led businesses in Africa.

“From an (ICAZ) council representation perspective, we were at 22 percent when we started, but we are now at 50 percent. This facilitates the diversity of views, ensuring that our issues are addressed within the ICAZ,” she added.

Women’s participation in finance is a crucial step towards closing the gender gap in economic opportunities. Historically, finance has been predominantly male-dominated, leading to a lack of gender balance in decision-making roles. By encouraging more women to actively participate in the field, we can ensure a broader range of perspectives are considered, leading to more inclusive and innovative financial strategies.

This diversity of viewpoints can help identify blind spots and promote wiser investment decisions and risk management strategies.

Sharing a similar sentiment, the ICAZ president, who is also a member of WeCAN, Manyara Chigunduru, also encouraged women members of ICAZ to participate in the committee to be empowered and unlock their potential in the Accountancy field.

“We are calling upon every member if you are a women Chartered Accountant, we want to see you participate in the events of ICAZ. Continuing in our comfort zone will never unlock the potential that exists within us as women in Accounting and it is only through participation that we will make impactful changes that will be of benefit to women,” she said.

Mrs Chigunduru is the founder and Managing Partner of Marianhill Chartered Accountants, a firm of independent auditors, accountants, and consultants. She is a renowned businesswoman in the auditing, financial management, and accounting fraternity, and is one of the few black women chartered accountants in Zimbabwe to start a successful audit firm in the country. She is the founding Director of Marianhill Advisory Services, a comprehensive financial advisory services firm.

She has over 20 years of experience spanning across different sectors covering financial management, accounting, strategy, auditing, project management, taxation, risk management, entrepreneurship, and governance.

“Women should know the type of seed they are and understand the environment where they can thrive and this will also enable them to adapt to that particular environment and be empowered. As a seed first and foremost you are planted, but when you are planted you are put in the dirt. So for a seed to grow, it must be able to fight the ground above it and once it shoots it is faced with a different environment that comes with the world.

“Most women believe that if they move to a different environment things will automatically change. The environment that one might be found in, might not necessarily change and if women as individuals do not change and adapt to the environment, you will continue looking for greener pastures,” she said.

The main aim of the WeCAN is to encourage and improve the participation of Female members in ICAZ activities to promote diversity of views. It also seeks to provide a platform for female members to network and share ideas in order to promote female Chartered Accountant’s influence in the economy and in turn work towards ICAZ’s objective of exerting influence in all spheres of the economy and also devise ways to ensure female members interact with/to inspire, encourage and promote female students.

It was launched in 2017 with the inaugural committee being chaired by Gloria Zviravanhu, managing director of Old Mutual Insurance Company, then general manager of NicozDiamond Insurance Limited.

-herald