Announced on 24 November 2023 at the first-ever Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) Professional Awards Africa, Unisa’s College of Accounting Sciences (CAS) received the prestigious CGMA Leadership Award Africa 2023: University Partner, which acknowledges the institution as an Elite University Partner in Africa, affirming that the institution exceeds expectations of shaping the future to advance the accounting and finance professions and nurture the next generation of leaders throughout the African continent. 

The initiative is led by the Global CGMA University and Academic Center of Excellence, in partnership with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.  

The CGMA Leadership Award: Elite University Partner in Africa also recognises African university partners with the best CGMA examination pass rates over the last three years (2021-2023). This includes the highest number of graduates becoming CIMA students with exams taken between these years in Africa, and the third most impressive pass rate in CIMA F2 Advanced Finance Reporting exam & E3 Strategic Management exam in Africa in the same years. 

AICPA & CIMA are the world leaders in public and management accounting issues through advocacy, support for the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) licence, the CGMA designation and specialised credentials, professional development and thought leadership. They build trust by empowering their members and engaging professionals with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future. AICPA is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession and sets ethical and auditing standards for its members. Further, CIMA is the world’s leading and largest professional body of management accountants.

From left: Lungi Gonkgang, Dr Moses Hlongoane (CAS: Executive Dean) and Tariro Mutizwa (Regional Vice-President AICPA & CIMA Africa)

Unisa stands out as a reputable, flexible and accessible comprehensive, open, distance and e-learning (CODeL) institution and has been in existence for 150 years. CAS strives for excellence in accounting education, and it is well positioned in the higher education sector and offers high-quality qualifications, accredited by the Council of Higher Education, including several qualifications endorsed by professional bodies, both nationally and internationally such as CIMA and South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

This achievement further indicates that CAS continues to enthusiastically demonstrate its stature in these fields. In 2022, Unisa accounted for a total of 1 011 out of 1 658 candidates who participated in the second sitting of the 2022 Initial Test of Competence (ITC) conducted by SAICA. In that, Unisa accounted for 17% of the total pass rate in the country, while other institutions shared the remaining 83%. Later in the same year, SAICA moved the college’s programmes from a previous rating of three to continued full accreditation. By this, SAICA affirmed Unisa’s accounting qualifications to appropriately meet the education and related requirements.   

In 2023, the college’s BCompt (Internal Auditing) and Postgraduate Diploma (Internal Auditing) were corroborated to meet the rigorous requirements established by the Institute of Internal Auditors. The institute also conferred CAS as a member of the Internal Auditing Education Partnership, Comprehensive Level, from 2023 to 2028. Additionally, in a recent unprecedented exam set up for Unisa, CAS students successfully completed the first set of hybrid exams for the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Accountancy and the Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting Sciences (PGDA).

CAS lecturer and CIMA Academic Champion, Lungi Gonkgang, remarks: “This achievement enhances the university and college’s prestige within the academic community and beyond. It also validates CAS staff’s hard work and dedication to academic excellence and therefore boosts the morale of the university's faculty, staff, and students.” She adds: “This award provides opportunities for the university and CAS to network with peers, policymakers, and influential individuals in academia, which will open doors to partnerships, and initiatives that will benefit the institution.” 

Gonkgang concludes: “The award further demonstrates that the high standard and quality of the university’s teaching is effective, and the learning resources are adequate and comprehensive, with excellent level of student engagement coupled with timely and constructive feedback and assessment.”

Click here for a complete list of the CGMA Professional Awards Africa 2023 winners.

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* By Nancy Legodi, Acting Senior Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement