By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Oct. 31, GNA – Mr George Andah, a former Deputy Minister of Communications, has urged graduates of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), to uphold integrity, accountability and professionalism in their careers.
He said graduates, particularly those entering the accounting and finance professions, must recognise that their work went beyond managing figures to building public trust through accuracy, transparency and ethical conduct.
Mr Andah made the call at the Fourth session of the 18th Congregation of the UPSA for the Faculty of Accounting and Finance, of which 978 students graduated.
In all, the University graduated a total of 5,120 students for the ceremony held in Accra.
Mr Ansah, who was also the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya in the Central region, challenged the graduates to make integrity the foundation of their professional and personal lives.
He said financial information was only valuable when it could be trusted, noting that inaccurate records and questionable financial practices could undermine confidence in institutions and public administration.
Drawing on the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report, he said it had flagged GH¢18.4 billion in irregularities across public institutions, representing a 109 per cent increase over the previous year.
He said the development highlighted the importance of accuracy, accountability, and professional discipline in financial management.
“For me, finance and accounting are not about arithmetic. They are about trust,” he said.
Mr Ansah, who has served in Parliament and as Deputy Minister of Communications, said his professional experiences in the telecommunications and infrastructure sectors had reinforced the importance of reliable data and verifiable results.
He recounted his involvement in the launch of a telecommunications network in Ghana, which recorded one million active subscribers within its first 100 days of operation.
He explained that the distinction between active and merely registered subscribers was important, stressing that professional credibility depended on the use of accurate and verifiable information.
“You are not graduating into the profession of calculators. You are graduating into a profession of trust,” he told the graduates.
Mr Ansah encouraged them to ensure that their professional signatures represented reliability and confidence, particularly when preparing or endorsing financial statements that influenced decisions by investors, regulators, pensioners and corporate boards.
He outlined several principles to guide the graduates, including being proactive, building a lasting personal brand, nurturing professional relationships, and giving back to society.
Mr Ansah said as Ghana embraced digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI), routine tasks such as data entry, reconciliations and basic checks would increasingly become automated.
However, he said human judgement, interpretation, accountability, and discipline would remain essential, particularly in finance and management.
Professor John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, the Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, encouraged the graduates to resist compromising their values for promotions, contracts, financial rewards, or other temporary personal benefits.
He cautioned against the growing perception that obtaining a university degree automatically guaranteed employment, attractive salaries, prestigious positions, and comfortable lifestyles.
A university degree, he said, should rather be regarded as a license to assume greater responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to organisations and national development.
Ms Matilda Dede Angmortey, the overall best graduating student for the Faculty of Accounting and Finance, commended the University and the parents for their support to achieve the milestones.
She pledged to use the experience acquired to adhere to the tenets of accounting ethics to enhance its professional image.
Ms Angmortey graduated with a final cumulative grade point average of 3.91.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei