The Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa (ABWA) is a regional organization of the International Federation of Accountants

International Federation of Accountants

International Federation of Accountants is the global organization for the accountancy profession. IFAC has 164 member and associates in 124 countries and jurisdictions, representing more than 2.5 million accountants employed in public practice, industry and commerce, government, and academe...

 (IFAC). As of 2011 there were ten West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

n accounting institutes represented in ABWA.

History

The association was established on 10 August 1982 in Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

, Nigeria, and was registered as a corporation in 1994. ABWA was initially collocated with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria is a professional accountancy body in Nigeria.It is one of the two professional accountancy associations with regulatory authority in Nigeria, the other being the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria .The relationship between the two...

 (lCAN) in Lagos. In May 2002 the association's headquarters moved to the ICAN building in Abuja

Abuja

Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...

.
The purpose of the Association is to develop accountancy in the region.
Recognized non-governmental accountancy bodies in West African countries are encouraged to join the association.

Activities

ABWA initiated the Accounting Technicians Scheme, West Africa, which provides a recognized professional qualification for supporting staff of Chartered Accountants.
Examinations for this qualification are held on the same day each year in centers throughout the region.
In May 2011 The Gambia Association of Accountancy ran a three-day "Train the trainer" seminar on International Financial Reporting Standards

International Financial Reporting Standards

International Financial Reporting Standards are principles-based standards, interpretations and the framework adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board ....

 (IFRS) for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for trainers from The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon.
The seminar was supported by the World Bank

World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...

 under the umbrella of ABWA.

In May 2011 Major General Sebastian Achulike Owuama (retired), the 46th President of ICAN and the 16th President of ABWA, was elected President of the newly created Pan-African Federation of Accountants (PAFA), or Fédération Panafricaine des Experts-Comptables (FEPEC).
He was elected during the inaugural meeting of PAFA in Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

, Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

.

Membership

As of 2011, ABWA had the following members:

Country	Acronym	Name
Benin	OECCA - BENIN	Ordre des Experts Comptables at Comptables Agréés du Benin
Burkina Faso		Ordre National des Experts Comptables et des Comptables Agrees du Burkina Faso
Cameroon	ONECCA	Ordre National des Experts Comptables du Cameroon Bilingual
Cote d’ Ivoire		Ordre des Experts Comptables et Comptables Agréés de Cote d'Ivoire
Gambia	GAA	The Gambia Association of Accountants
Ghana	ICA	Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana is a professional accountancy organisation in Ghana. It is the sole such organisation in Ghana with the right to award the Chartered Accountant designation, and with the right to regulate the accountancy profession in Ghana. The Institute of...
Guinea	OECAG	Ordre des Experts Comptables Agréés de Guinee
Liberia	LICPA	Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants The Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a professional association of accountants in Liberia.LICPA is a member body of the International Federation of Accountants ....
Mali	ONECAM	Ordre National des Experts Comptables et des Comptables Agréés du Mali
Niger	ONECCA-N	Ordre National des Experts Comptables et Comptables Agréés du Niger
Nigeria	ICAN	Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria is a professional accountancy body in Nigeria.It is one of the two professional accountancy associations with regulatory authority in Nigeria, the other being the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria .The relationship between the two...
Sierra Leone	ICASL	Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sierra Leone Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sierra Leone The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sierra Leone is a professional accountancy body in Sierra Leone. It is the sole organization in Sierra Leone with the right to award the Chartered Accountant designation....
Senegal	ONECCA	Ordre National des Experts Comptables et Comptables Agréés du Sénégal Ordre National des Experts Comptables et Comptables Agréés du Sénégal The Ordre National des Experts Comptables et Comptables Agréés du Sénégal or National Institute of Chartered Accountants of Senegal is a professional body in Senegal created on 10 January 2000....
Togo	ONECCA-TOGO	Association Togolaise des Experts Comptables Diplomas

As of March 2011, the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria

Association of National Accountants of Nigeria

The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria is one of the two professional accountancy associations with regulatory authority in Nigeria, the other being the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria ....

(ANAN) had applied to become a member of ABWA.