The European Union (EU) has entrained on a project to promote accounting students’ morals, accountability and transparency once they get into the industry.

EU Malawi public financial management programme manager, Janet Mortoo said that students need empowering so that they become strong leaders and advocates of development.

Mortoo said this during a debate that EU and Institute of Chartered Accountants (Icam) organised for students at Malawi College of Accountancy Mzuzu Campus and Mzuzu Technical College last week.

“We would like to promote certain values that is accountability, transparency, integrity, independence, among others, and saw it as a good opportunity to partner with Icam to focus on one very important profession here in Malawi, the accountants,” Mortoo said.

He added: “We want to help them become strong management leaders basically to be able to argue their point, to value accountability and transparency and be part of the force that will drive development forward.”

Icam director of education and training, Ruth Mgwede Mdala said through the partnership, Icam wants to produce graduates that will be able to survive on the job market.

She said Icam wants to instil confidence in the students and empower them with skills that will help institutions grow.

“Through the debates the students can improve on areas such as critical thinking, research, being creative, having the confidence to present issues to organisations,” said Mdala.

She said these cannot be included in the technical knowledge that Icam is offering.

“We believe that by giving it to them by the end of the day we will be producing graduates that will survive in the industry  and be able to provide support to their institutions,” said Mdala.