Greetings
ABASA President
Chair of Women ABASA
ABASA Secretary General
CEO of SAIGA
Regional Chair of SAIGA Eastern Cape
All the members of professional bodies and General Public
Prestige Guests
Members of the Media
We gathered here today to make it public that we care for our country, as the preamble of the SA Constitution states that, We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past. Hence the collaboration between ABASA and SAIGA to drive transformation in the sector, professionalisation and capacity building in the public sector. As for transformation in the Sector, ABASA was established in 1985 to promote the professional interests of Black persons engaged in the accounting profession. ABASA is committed and dedicated in this pursuit and are driven by the need to ensure that every black accountant and aspiring accountant is able to realise their full potential and aspirations.
On the other hand, the Southern African Institute of Public Sector Auditors, in its role as a professional body focuses on the advancement of auditing and accountability through the certification of the occupational qualification: Certificate: Public Sector Auditor qualification and the awarding of the Registered Public Sector Auditor (RGA) professional designation. As such, SAIGA’s partnership with ABASA in contributing towards upskilling individuals in accountability in the public sector. This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is applicable to both the RGA designation and the Public Sector Auditor qualification.
Furthermore, both parties recognise that they share certain values which complement one another which contributes to the growth of skills within the public sector. This contribution is made by developing a stream of suitably qualified individuals who can constructively be employed within the public sector. Continuing professional development has therefore become a key element and an important service to be delivered to professionals within supreme audit institutions. The Parties recognise however that certain fields that may be of interest to its members do not form part of their area of core expertise.
The objective of the MOU is:
- To provide ABASA and SAIGA members, and associates and public servants with access to a broader base of training and development courses, programmes, workshops, seminars, research, and related activities.
- To enhance visibility of both institutions to a broader market.
This Agreement includes:
- Supporting the process of obtaining recognition of each party’s professional designations, qualifications certifications or other learning programmes;
- Collaboration in relevant capacity development programmes where there is mutual interest;
- Collaboration in the development and/ or delivery of professional qualifications, certification programmes, CPD programmes and other short courses where there is mutual interest;
- Collaboration in the hosting of discussion forums, conferences, seminars, workshops, and webinars where there is mutual interest;
- Promotion of each party’s respective events and activities through available communication channels where there is mutual interest;
- Collaborating on research and publications focusing in areas where there is mutual interest;
- Collaboration in the development and maintenance of professional competency frameworks and curricular where there is mutual interest;
- Where collaboration includes the use of one party’s resources for the other party’s benefit, appropriate compensation will be agreed between the parties;
- Collaboration in the Cradle to the Grave strategy and rebuilding of student chapters;
- Collaboration when entering the African markets and Global area in areas where there is mutual interest; and
- Any joint ventures that support the objectives outlined in this Agreement with other professional bodies outside South Africa.
When coming to the public sector, we will use our pool of members from both organisation and associates to improve capacity in the public sector, in order to have capable state, thereby impacting real service delivery to communities of south Africa.
Our collaborative effort will be towards offering training to public servants, offering membership to members of the public, promoting transformation by supporting recruiting and supporting students from high school all the way to the university level and ultimately taking through the public sector. ABASA and SAIGA will also provide direct assistance in the public sector in areas of difficulties, for example procurement and contract management expertise.