Future CFOs: The Next Generation of Gambian Women in Finance

Speaker A: Welcome to another exciting episode of the Future CFO Podcast where we dive into leadership, career management and the latest trends shaping the future of finance. This podcast is brought to you by futurecfo.info your go to platform for practical finance and CPD courses. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and share this episode with your network.

Speaker B: Hello and um, welcome to another episode of the Future CFO Podcast. Whilst the wisdom and experience of the seasoned finance professionals is always invaluable, we believe that the voice of young the rising stars are equally powerful and inspiring. That is why in today's episode, we shine the spotlight on three young Gambian women who have just recently completed their ACCA programs. Join us as we welcome Isa Tuba, an Assistant Audit Manager at ah, the Gambian National Audit Office. Sini Job, Finance Officer at the Ecobank Gambia limited And um, Fatou Cham, an accountant with COMA Free Group. Welcome Sini. Welcome Fatu. And welcome Isatur.

Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker B: Start with a question that will be, uh, relevant for all of you. And the question is, what has been your story? What inspired you to study ACCA or accounting program? And I will start with, uh, Isetu.

Speaker C: All right, um. Greetings everyone. Thank you, Mr. Sawane, for having me on this platform. It's an honor. So, um, my journey towards the ACCA didn't start with a clear goal. Actually, it all began with a passion for information technology. So back in high school I studied commerce, but, um, we had like several different clubs in the school, including commerce club of course. But I chose to join IT club, thinking this was where my future lay. However, everything changed in 2018 when I received my wax results and sought guidance from my primary school principal expressing my desire to pursue computer science. However, his advice surprised me. Why not consider acca? It's global recognized and it offers professional opportunities far beyond you might imagine. At first I was hesitant, but as I thought over this, I realized that the ACCA program could be the bridge between my love for logic and problem solving, as well as a rewarding career in finance. The idea of earning a globally respected qualification, one that could offer me opportunities across different industries, began to excite me. So I decided to take the leap. So, during the orientation session at Grace Institute of Professional Accounting, I was relieved to learn that there were no strict timelines for taking the introductory, intermediate or diploma exams. So this flexibility assured me that I could progress at my own pace. However, life took an unexpected turn in 2020 when I took up a teaching job at my former school. So my studies took a back seat because it became very much challenging to juggle these two responsibilities. By 2021, I knew I had to focus because my experience as an accounts assistant at HD was an eye opener. Without formal training, I struggled and it wasn't long before I was redeployed as a credit controller. This new role was tough, filled with pressure and unfulfilling tasks and it forced me to confront my aspirations. Because I didn't want to settle for mediocrity, I made the difficult decision to resign and refocus fully on my studies. So I resigned in June and between the periods of July and November I completed the diploma level and passed um Business law, which is F4. So those months were actually very transformative, proving to me that indeed with hard work, self belief and commitment, this was a journey that I could achieve. So my affiliate status today is a testament to that. So basically this journey has taught me that it's not about where you start, but about the determination to keep moving forward despite the challenges that may come forth. So to anyone considering the acca, especially young women in the Gambia, um, embrace the challenge. It won't be easy, but it will always be worth it. Believe in your potential. Seek a mentor to guide you and remember that the obstacles you face today will be victories you'll celebrate tomorrow.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. I said indeed uh a wonderful journey and I like that direction that the obstacle is always going to be there. So I think it's somehow very similar. When I was going to school I also wanted to study economics and finance uh then be economics in, in the government. But as ah always life always comes in a, in a different direction. So today I never practiced as an economic so maybe we'll go to Seni from there. Any what has been your own story?

Speaker D: Thank you Mr. Sawane for giving me the opportunity to this platform. So my journey towards a career in accountancy began long before I even knew about acca. Ah from an early age I had the fascination for numbers and mathematics was my favorite subject. So I love problem solving, critical thinking and, and just to play around the numbers. But a uh, pivotal moment came when I had my dad run his store that sells building materials. Because he didn't have the opportunity to attend formal education, he could not do much with maintaining his own financial records. So I helped him with bookkeeping. So I was keeping which is daybook daybook without actually knowing that this was a sales day or this was a purchase this day book until in high school when I started doing financial accounting. That's when I was taught about daybooks, journals, ledgers. So I was like, oh, on the whole, what I was skipping, there was a, uh, purchase daybook, that was a sales daybook. So I was just that little bookkeeper in the house, in a layman's point of view, and sometimes prepare performer invoices for him, write checks and do stock counts together. So I learned that I, uh, wasn't just interested in numbers, but maintaining financial records too. And it's essential to the success of any business. So I realized that uh, this was something that I was not only good at, but I was passionate about it. So at a very young age I realized my interest in accounting and finance without even knowing about acca. I didn't have problem choosing between the commerce, science or uh, arts when I was going to high school because I already made up my mind to study commerce before going to high school

Speaker C: with

Speaker D: the vision of studying finance or being a finance professional after high school. So even though I was, I was given exceptional opportunity at some point in high school when I was in grade 10 to be enrolled in the science classes. So because of my grades, the expectation was that, oh, CN is going to be in the science classes. I made my dad understand that I, um, was interested in pursuing a career in finance.

Speaker C: So.

Speaker D: And I wanted to stay in the commerce classes. So it's after high school I actually heard about acca. So I found myself at a crossroad between ACCA and a degree in accounting and finance. I even paid my registration fees at university and got admission to pursue a degree in accountancy, but with intensive research. I was doing research along the way to know about acca, because that is when I heard about it. So with intensive research and inquiry, I found about its global recognition as a professional body and its member Success stories inspired me. So I could not seek a better option than being part of the world's leading professional accountancy body. So that is how I decided to pursue acca.

Speaker B: Uh, indeed a very good uh, story helping from the stores of your, uh, dad, uh, keeping record without even knowing their name and high school. Then describe uh, them to, to you. I think that's a, that's a very good and a fascinating story. Uh, maybe fat. We move to you now, Father Chow.

Speaker E: For me, I didn't have a clear career path immediately after completing high school, but what I did know was I wanted to do numbers. But I have no idea how to turn that interest into HR. So around 2017, 2018, I get enrolled to AAT. When I went there, I found a group of students that were doing CAT and um, they were getting ready for their exam. So from a random m conversation with them, they were talking about CAT and how they were excited to do ACCA instead. So that is how I make further research about what CAT was and what ACCA was. And from those results I realized that even AOT was a great qualification. ACCA was offering something more as it is a globally recognized qualification, collecting individuals from all over the world. So that was the turning point for me. Then I switched from AUT to acca and that is actually how it all started.

Speaker B: Hearing from your friends or your classmates or agemates, talking about the accounting profession. Uh, in this case they talk about the qualification of cad and uh, you have already enrolled in the aat, then switch to acca. Ah, indeed. We all go through this time to time in the process of making our choices. Sometimes we choose one profession or even one qualification. Realize that. Okay, there's another one I could take. Uh, upon exactly all of you so had a support from a network. And I would like, uh, ISIDO to address this question because, for example, in the case of Isido, I saw on your LinkedIn page, you mentioned about friends and family and network who supported you in your pursuit for your career and your qualification. I just want to emphasize that how important is that for the young people who are, uh, either thinking of further pursuing their education, whether it's accounting or not, how important it is for you in terms of support network?

Speaker C: Um, thank you for that question. Uh, well, when I embarked on this journey, initially I thought that success was a solo journey, but it didn't take long for me to realize that, um, having a good support system was equally as important. My father supported me financially during the early phases of my studies, my journey to the acca. So however, this was not sustainable due to the change in circumstances at the time. But this taught me resilience and resourcefulness. Um, beyond words of encouragement from my mother. She would dish out portions from the dinner meal so I could have something to snack on during my late night study sessions. She would also take over, um, certain household chores or delegate these to my younger ones so I could have uninterrupted time to focus on my exams. Her silent sacrifices indeed became a strength and a motivating factor for me throughout my journey. A, uh, key source of emotional support was actually my brother. He's younger than I am, but he's actually very mature. So when I have issues, he is the one that I actually speak to and he has been very much good at that. As a consoling partner. So whenever I received my results from the ECA uh via email, he's the first one I send a screenshot to. Where it's a pass, he actually celebrates as though they were his where it's a fail. He tries to make up my mood and console me by sending me motivational quotes or vases of hope from the Quran telling me that it's just a delay but not a denial. Even the idea of self studying some of these papers also came from him because at the time since I was having challenges in respect of um funding for my acca, I dropped the idea of pursuing uh the CAT qualification. So instead when I just did the diploma papers I went on directly to do business law which is F4. So with other papers where I could not accommodate the funding, could not accommodate all the expenses in respect of uh tuition fee for a one to one session with a tutor as well as the exam fees, he asked me why not check on the website to see and compare. Like for any two papers you are taking on a sitting, which one has like a higher pass rate and you believe that you can actually self study this one and join classes for the other one. So I did financial reporting and um audit and one sitting in June 2022. So I opted for classes for audit as it has a lower pass rate compared to financial reporting and I self studied financial reporting. I did the same for tax which I self studied and joined classes for financial management and it all proved to be successful and I owe it to him. Mendoz have also been equally instrumental in my journey. Marang provided invaluable support in respect of the right exam combinations and also helped turn or transform uh preconceived challenging topic in interpretation of financial statements on the financial reporting. As I mentioned earlier this was a course that I studied on my my own. But um, with interpretation that was like the challenging bit of the syllabus for me. So I contacted him and he was there to support um. One piece of advice from him really stands out. It's not about how fast you finish but rather how well you learn the lessons along the way. Mustafa Gay who also who taught me financial management has also provided invaluable support to me during hard trying times. And one of his motivational words which truly stands out um is every setback is a setup for a comeback. This became a guiding mantra during tough times and I know I couldn't have done this too without his support. So I'm truly grateful to them, to my colleagues too. They've also played a significant role in my journey from, uh, group discussions, mock exams and shared resources. These helped deepen my knowledge in complex areas. I vividly remember a moment where a colleague pinpointed out a flaw in my approach towards solving a particular question during a mock exams that we were doing together. That became a learning point that strengthened my performance in the actual exams. So throughout the period, my support system reminded me that I was not alone, that it was okay for me to lean on them. Their support, both emotional and practical, became a source of strength for me throughout my journey. Today I carry their lessons with me and I'm prepared to offer the same support to others on similar journeys. Thank you.

Speaker B: Thank you. Uh, so from the summary I got here is that everybody needs a support system, uh, that's it. Pursuing, whether it's a study, whether it's a career, and in your own example, it starts with the family. So it's always good. It doesn't matter the age, even the younger one is motivating you. A support system does not mean it has to be somebody very senior or somebody, uh, above you by age. So your junior one who are supporting you at the same time, outside the family. You also have people like mentors. You, you spoke about Gay and Maram, who I happen to know both of them. They did, uh, very well. So that kind of support is important. Your colleagues, your friends. So in essential when pursuing a course, whether it's ACCA or a degree, you need a support system is very important. Now let me go to, let me go to Saini, uh, Sen. I know you also did very well, uh, with your acca. You almost sit one exams or two in a quarter. And throughout your ACCA journey you are able to pass all the papers on your first, uh, attempt. This is a great success, which we can always say there are very few of that. Of course it does not come easy. There must be a lot of preparations. There must be some kind of strategies, uh, you must have put in place for you to be able to achieve that, maybe for the benefit of students or future students of accounting or any other program that may seem to be difficult. What were some of the strategies you implemented during this time that help you to achieve passing your exams at first attempt?

Speaker D: Thank you, thank you for that question. So knowing that I wanted to study acca, I also desired to qualify very young. So I committed myself to completing all my ACCA exam latest at, uh, 22 years old. So setting this target required me to take up the challenge to sit multiple exams in a sitting in Order to meet my objectives. So maintaining focus throughout required a high level of self discipline. Not only the discipline when studying, but also minimizing m distractors like social media. So I decided to turn off most of my social media notifications and set app limits to avoid spending too much time on certain applications in order to minimize distraction. And it really helped me so to stay on track. I had a year long exam plan that each session was tied to a specific exam and I committed myself to booking exams early. So I registered for exams immediately. The previous exam session results were out. I registered for the next exam. So it was like I was just running from one exam deadline to another and that really kept me busy. But the support of my parents to really reinforce both my focus and dedication. Especially my mom as the first child in an African home, especially a girl child, you know much is expected from you. But my mom understood the demands of my studies and stepped in to help me organize the house. So she made sure that I had fewer chores to manage which gave me time and mental space to focus entirely on my goals. And their belief in me was just a constant source of motivation. So having that motivation really helped me to maintain that focus, knowing that I m am being motivated and much is expected from me. So it wasn't always easy because sometimes I go off track and then come back again. But with discipline, support, commitment and consistency, I can say I was able to maneuver through it. And minimizing distraction and focusing on my studies means that I could go for exams every sitting and do it my very best. And I did not even regret doing that like giving it all my very best because it handed me a scholarship that is only given to five ACCA students globally every year. And I continue to enjoy that benefit even as an affiliate now. So the this benefit and this recognition, um, which serves as a reminder of rewards and dedication and perseverance really, it really, really really helped me.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh, Cindy, Some of the strategies I think that's very important of this time and generation is the social media. So the social media is very good. You can learn from there. I know for example, if you go on TikTok, you can get exam tips on TikTok on the, on a hashtag. If you go on Instagram you can learn finance things there. But whilst one is going there, you have to also be mindful that you have other responsibilities outside your social life. In fact, to enjoy a more consistent and possibly a uh, better or an improved social life, you need to invest in your education, in your Life and you understand that then you decided to deactivate or minimize your social media usage and then planning they, they said prior planning prevent problems. So you had a plan in place. I think I remember I uh used to have a similar mindset when I finished one exam paper when I was doing acca. If I finish today, that very day I'm reading on my next papers that I'm thinking of in six months time. During our time it was only June and December but as soon as I finished the last paper there is no break because I cannot feel like there's a battle ahead of me and the more I go up the more I will face a much bigger battle in terms of the exams requirement. So that is a very key planning and of course a support system similar to what I said to indicated uh earlier is very important. So you have to understand no matter what study you are doing, you have a family and you have a responsibility in the family. Everybody in the family have a role to play. So your parents help you there. I will move on to Father Cham because I believe she also had some strategies uh when she was studying she was working at the same time and I had been in nasus. Uh but I would love to hear our own story. Working and studying is not easy no matter what you are doing. So fatu for you whilst working full time job and also sitting to ACCA exam paper what strategy works for you managing these two difficult computing tasks or responsibilities at the same time?

Speaker E: Well thank you for that question. I will uh start with acknowledging the fact that it is not an easy thing. Having to balance full time work with ACC was actually one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced. Especially during those times when the workload felt overwhelming and I couldn't find a way out. I found myself in an endless cycle of studies and work and exhaustion. But what helped me was I created a structured study plan. I created a strict and you know the realistic study plan that work around my job. My day usually start at 4am in the morning when I will wake up and have a two hour study session before I get ready for work. I work a 9 to 5 job. My employer gives me the flexibility to leave around three or four which had incredibly helped me. So in the early days when I lose job I'll go to the school. So even though I am usually tired after job but the fact that I found students in the school studying it motivates me also to continue studying to keep me, I mean to keep me active and later on when I start Going further with my studies, I will go home and have a 30 minutes or one hour nap and then have another three hours to four hours study session. This structured plan help me keep, keep me committed and give me steady progress. The next thing that helped me was I do a social activity detoxing. I eliminate a lot of social activity. Like knowing me, I'm somebody who wanted to attend Bilti's wedding and all those social events. But at some point in time I realized that this is not workable. It is not something that I can do together with act. I needed to say no to all these events. It was very uncomfortable in the beginning because having to say no to events you would have attend, it was not easy. But then I knew in the end it really paid off. And I know it is something that I should have done. And the next thing is knowing my why during time management that my one of my driver is I know why, I know my purpose. While I was doing acc, I found motivation in two things. One being I'm my mom's first child and I lost my dog before I was born. So at a very early age I have this sense of responsibility to help my mom to fill the gap that my dad left behind. So when the times get tough, I remind myself that I have a mom to help, I have a mom to support. And there's no way I give up now. I need to make sure this is followed through to the end. And um, the next thing that also motivates me is I was sponsored by my employer. And beyond the financial investment that they have in me, the trust that they invested in me was something that was great and I needed to make sure that it was a success. So during the difficult times, I remind myself like God, you have to make sure this is a success because you are um, you are sponsored by somebody and you cannot go back with nothing. So this, these are the two things that kept me going when the things were taught. So to everyone doing acc, I would just advise you guys to know why you are doing it. Even if not easy. Knowing why you are doing certain things will actually keep you going when the things get tough because you will have things to hold on to. You just not dropped it when it gets. So, uh, these are the things that helped me during the difficult moment. It was actually not very easy, but it was very doable as well.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you Fatou. Uh, there is a gentleman called Simon Snick. He wrote a whole book about why great companies succeeded is because they are ah, true to their core. Why because every company there's a reason why they have been set up and in a similar way in life as well as human beings or as individuals, when we are caught or why it helps us a lot. So in a similar way, when I was going to school, my why was very fundamental. I can be in the classroom, I am hungry. I don't felt I am hungry probably until I'm done because there is something bigger that makes me interested to understand what is happening so similar to your own. Luckily, uh, for me I had my both parents but the financial condition in the family was not good at all. So therefore I knew that uh, being the first son of my mom and I want to change the conditions that my own children will not go into that kind of situation. Hence I'm um, always keen or focused on my why, uh, which is to change the conditions of myself and other people around me. So it's one of the reasons why we even founded this future cfo, uh, podcast and a platform to enable us to support other people who may have similar stories like ourselves. So in the benefit of our audience, the founders of this platform are uh, myself, salifuba and M. Mr. Musasua. So what indeed is a very key point that Fatou has uh, mentioned there? I'm going to go back to senior again now that you are ACCA affiliate. So it's one thing passing uh, the exams, but it's another thing. What do you envision? How do you benefit or aim to use this new qualification, this new status in your life?

Speaker D: Thank you. So becoming an athlete is truly an exciting milestone and being part of a globally recognized professional body I think gives me added advantage because employees value their commitment, the excellence, ethics and technical expertise. So achieving this status, to me it's a global passport that can open so many opportunities and even job opportunities and beyond to me. So my immediate goal is to gain hands on experience in finance whilst working towards completing my practical experience requirement to achieve membership because not only the technical expertise which is important, but my practical experience is also crucial to my career growth. So ultimately achieving athlete status is more than just a qualification to me, but it's a foundation that supports my career ambitions and I believe it can empower me to make an impact in finance. So completing ACCA is just the beginning for me. My goal is to become a transformative leader in finance and one who can inspire a young woman. I also plan to use this milestone as a springboard to pursue other qualifications like CFA to become a, ah, certified Financial analyst. So I think it would allow me to broaden my expertise and contribute to high level financial decision making. Lastly, I am deeply committed to giving back to the community. So I currently mentor three young girls and I encourage them to pursue their own professional growth. And I share lessons that I have learned through my ACCA journey, sharing exam tips with them. So as I progress in my career, I plan to inspire more aspiring accountants. Though this network is just a small one, but I'm looking forward and I plan to expand this network to be able to inspire more aspiring accountants. And I am particularly excited about the opportunity to inspire and guide young accountants.

Speaker B: Thank you, thank you, thank you. That is a very good plan. Especially uh, giving back to the society, uh, especially in the females. I always complain that we still don't have females in finance, uh, in the Gambia, although it's coming up, uh, but it's very slow. And I think for professional qualification point of view, the number of students enrolling into the professional qualifications like the ACCA is reducing without doing any research. When you Compare it, uh, 10, 15 years ago. And this is important, not saying that the other programs are not important, but we know personal qualifications sometimes bring other advantages beyond the country, uh, by virtue of the fact that is uh, recognized uh, among various countries, uh, around the world. But you talk about the planning of your career and it is a similar question I'm going to ask, but a quick pull maybe we'll do. How many of you have some form of uh, career planning documented? Uh, do you have one career plan that you map out?

Speaker D: S. Yeah, I do, I do.

Speaker B: I saidu.

Speaker C: Yeah, I also have.

Speaker E: Are you fadu from now?

Speaker B: Okay, great. It is, it is important you have some uh, kind of uh, planning in, in place that if you can document it, it even helps because that reminds you we may have the idea in you and in doing that career planning there are a number of processes or steps you could follow to do a very good uh, career plan. Whether it's assessing yourself, looking at your future career goals, looking at what are the steps you need to take for you to reach there, whether it's the qualifications, the experience. Maybe you want to be a CFO or maybe a chief Audit officer, what are the steps that takes you that is important you document that. And of course considering the fact that one of the courses that we have uh, provided on the feature CFO platform is on career management. So my other fellow partners told me we will uh, give access to all the three of you, uh, uh, free of charge that you can have access to that course where you can read about Career planning and have some template that you can develop and customize to yourself. So I thought I should share that with you.

Speaker C: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate that.

Speaker B: It's a pleasure. So I will continue with similar questions to isatu. You are also qualified now. You are ACCA Affiliate. What is your career plan or plan about in making goodies of this qualification?

Speaker C: Completing the ACCA and attaining the Affiliate status is a significant milestone in my professional journey. With that, I am planning to build on this achievement by pursuing an academic degree in a relevant field of study. I also plan to enhance my leadership capabilities as well as uh, competence level in perhaps data analytics through mentorship programs and also uh, workshops organized. This will actually help uh, provide invaluable support in my role at the National Audit Office. Um, with ethics being a central focus in my ACCA status, I'm also committed to upholding the ethical values of transparency, professionalism and accountability at the National Audit Office. In my recent LinkedIn post, I emphasized the need for one to continue upgrading their skills and knowledge at a level required to ensure that they give the best possible services to their employer. And that is something I've been trying to do ever since I've attained the affiliates. That is through constant revision of what I've already learned from the acca, the ifrs, the International Financial Reporting Standards as well as the auditing standards. You have uh, relevant regulatory guidelines like the GPPA regulations. You also have the financial regulations. These are very much um, invaluable to the work we do because we do compliance audits. So these would be very much relevant to compliance audits. Um, so having a good grasp of what is contained in these documents will actually help. So ultimately I intend to mentor junior auditors at the National Audit Office to ensure that the next generation of professionals maintain high standards of excellence. Because I believe that by ensuring or promoting a mentorship culture, we will build a consistent and capable um, team across all audit functions. Thank you.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. I said a very important rule that uh, your office as National Audit, uh, plays for the country because it's part of our governance. And as we know Gambia, like many other African countries, governance is a, is a big challenge and we need uh, offices like National Audit professionals like yourself to ensure the work that are being done are uh, in line with the laws, regulations and the international uh, best practices. So I'm glad that you are pursuing further interest in that uh, area. So I'll move to uh, Fatu Cham. Uh Fatu, as I previously spoke about, there is A high declining rate of the number of students who are studying professional exams or courses like acca. And my question to you is, what advice would you have for the young girls, especially in the Gambia, who may be interested to pursue a course in ACCA but felt that this journey is very difficult? Because I understand from my only to research some people drop acca for a BSc because they felt it is very difficult and they rather go for a BSc. That's for some people's own justification. But what advice do you ah, have for those who may be in that kind of a challenging uh, moment to decide which one do I go for?

Speaker E: Actually it is a common belief, even me, before I started, people will tell you, wow, you're doing this you cannot complete. I mean they will tell you you are starting something that you will be able to complete. So my advice for any girl, anybody who is currently wanting to do ACCA is it is very doable and then it's, it's something that you just need to seek help or seek the right advice before you just make the final decision. And um, other problem that young girls are facing is financially financial support. For me, I face the same situation where I struggled to. I just did two exams and then I couldn't, I couldn't continue because I didn't have the financial support to continue. And that is when I just go and find jobs, start working for two years, then my employer starts sponsoring me. It is the same thing for other people as well. So the right support. There are people out there who are willing to support you. If you seek support, you just, you just don't sit at one place and wait for the support to come to you. You have to go out there and find it like the same. You have this Simpson scholarship where she don't have to pay exam fees. There are other things like that as well. So my advice for the young people doing ACCA is for to seek support, seek financial support if you have to and don't listen, listen to any advice. Um, you seek advice from the right source. The next thing I will tell for the young girls who are currently on their ECA journey is to find a mentor. Because it really helped me. There were situation where I was going through a lot, walk wise, emotional wise. And then my mentor helped me to go through all those things. I remember when I was doing F6, I took an attempt to cancel my booking because I was like, there's no way I'll pass this exam because I'm not mentally fit to do it. And for whatever reason I Take my phone to call my mentor to inform him that I am canceling my exam. And what he told me was that uh, even if the exam is tomorrow you, you are able to pass the exam because, because you already have the information. And for that I didn't cancel the exam and that is why I'm sitting here as an ACCA athlete. So having a mentor is just like having somebody you can go to whenever you're going something and that mentor will give you a ah, relevant advice that is suitable for the situation. So do not talk to anybody. There are people out there that are just there to discourage you. They will never give you a positive solution about anything. They will just tell you this is difficult if you do it. It's expensive, you're wasting your time. At the end of the day you will just, you just drop it while you already have an investment in it. Just don't listen to those people. You just listen to yourself, find the right people to talk to and then you will see yourself out there. And the next thing I will tell because you have people that will start and then after two exam or three exam they will just drop act. I'll tell them to find the right study body because that really helped me. I work full time and I don't have the time to go through every syllable, every bit of the syllabus. So my study partner, what I get from my study partner is at the end of the day I'll just text her guy, what did you study today? And she will give me a summary of all the things that she studied during the day. And for me I will not have to go through all that little bit of the syllables to study again because I have a summary already so it helps me a lot because you know finding somebody who, who can renew it. You doing the same thing with you will have a difficult concept and call her or him. Can you please explain this concept for me? The journey will be very easy and you will, you won't be discouraged. The ride surrounding will really help you. And my advice for those young people is to find a mentor, find a study buddhi and then find a financial support if you have to. There are people out there who are willing to support you. You just don't wait for the opportunity to come for you. You, you go out there and seek the opportunity so that, that is what I will tell them.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you very much. Fatu. I think the study bodies thing is very helpful. I remember back in the days I started in high school. Since I was in high school we used to even have a study group and among ourselves we look at somebody who's good in science, somebody is good in accounting, somebody's good in mathematics. You come to the classroom and explain us what you understand after the teacher has gone. We continued with that even when I was doing the acca. So it's very helpful. And of course having the support and talking to the right people is really, really important. You have to get the right mentors who can share their own stories with you today. Hearing what you've been through, if somebody comes to you and talk to you, is not an assumption, it's what you have done for you. The same thing for senior and the same thing for I said because each one of you had your own challenge when you are studying this program. So that's indeed very powerful. But before we come to end this uh, podcast interview, we have a, a, a style where we ask our guests to ask a question. Now for three of you, you represent not only young Gambians, but you also represent young females. So I wanted to know, maybe there's one question that you would love for me to ask our future guest. So maybe you have your own question. If I have somebody here, uh, what is it that that question you felt is uh, bothering you and you would love to hear somebody's thought or feedback on them. So maybe I will start with you.

Speaker C: Okay. Um, so this is a question that raises like an area of controversy among US colleagues at the workplace. Um, so basically it's related to the GOTG account Government of the Gambia account. So, um, the Accountant General's department prepares a single set of financial statements based on like aggregated ledger items. So given this, can these financial statements truly be considered consolidated or there is a need for ministries to prepare individual financial statements and have these consolidated by the AGD before the term consolidated financial statements becomes appropriate. I hope that's clear enough.

Speaker B: Yes, I think that's a, uh, very clear and interesting question. I will uh, look for a guest in the public sector accounting.

Speaker E: Exactly.

Speaker C: From the add maybe another experts to share that view.

Speaker B: So we'll take a challenge on that. I'll ah, look for somebody who can answer that. So sending what would be your own question?

Speaker D: Yeah, and as you've just mentioned that there is a decline in the number of accountants or the number of chartered accountants in the country. And this is not in the Gambia, but I have realized that it's across Africa at light. So recently I have seen ACCA providing African students that have reached the strategic Professional level exams with expert tutors at a very reasonable fees to help them qualify. So my question to finance leader is that what additional steps are they taking be it uh, at their team's level or at their organization level or beyond to make the profession more appealing and accessible especially for young women.

Speaker B: Indeed, another powerful question that need answers. Uh, especially as we onboard Gen Z into the workplace they want uh, these questions to be answered. So I think that reflect a lot there. But what's your own question?

Speaker E: My question is about sustainability. Uh, given the increase in emphasis of ah, sustainability and uh, introduction of sustainability focused courses worldwide, how are finance leaders adapting to this shift? What strategies are they implementing to ensure sustainability becomes an integral part of their team's role and responsibility and their decision making processes?

Speaker B: Great. So I have three questions from three of you that's important uh, as uh far to put the Sustainability is all over the world now and is here to stay. New standard have been issued so finance have to put it into their own decision making uh, in their working information. So we will definitely take these three questions, um, potentially ask three different speakers, uh, or guests on this platform to give their own feedback. So once again uh ladies, thank you very much for coming to this platform. But before you close, maybe I'll allow each one of you to make a short closing uh, statement. So starting with you Aissatou, I wish

Speaker C: to end with a quote shared by my brother after I failed the F5 exam, Performance Management. Um, don't be afraid to start over again. This time you're not starting from scratch but rather from experience. So I've been in the shoes before of someone who has failed and trying to find the motivation to get back at the paper again. So I guess I'm reminding those viewers who have like failed before and are finding the motivation to actually get back things together that it's absolutely fine. It's just a delay. It's not a denial. You can do it if you have the right mindset to go over it again. So my journey, just like any others, have been indeed paved with numerous challenges and obstacles. But these served as integral parts of my journey that refined my skills and character both personally and professionally, making the taste to my affiliate status today all the more satisfying. So Mr. Sawane, thank you uh, and Mr. Gay for allowing me to share my story on this platform. I hope it inspires others on their path to professional growth. Thank you.

Speaker B: Thank you very much Isadu. And now we move to Seni.

Speaker D: Yeah, just a short remarks is that just to tell you that especially those aspiring accountants, that the journey is not easy at all. But it teaches you so many things and every day will be a learning day for you. You will need to adapt. Self discipline, consistencies and commitment. And I think to me, these are very important things in every aspect of a human being's life. So those that are out there that want to start a journey in accountants or any other qualification, or particularly ACCA I.e. standard Certified Accountancy, it's not going to be easy. But your dedication, your focus and your hard working can take you there. It's not about this girl is intelligent or this one is intelligent, but to me it's about the hard work and the sacrifice that you are ready to put in to make to make it happen. So thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to be here.

Speaker B: Thank you. Circumstances.

Speaker E: Uh Fatu I earned with a code. Take the risks or lose the chance. For everyone who is aspiring to become an accountant, the time is now. You, you start now. And don't listen to people who will tell you otherwise. Just go for it and obviously you'll have it right.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. Fadu charm. Thank you, uh, cine job. And thank you indeed. It's our pleasure having you wonderful young, uh, ladies here who are a figure of running the finance profession in the continent, not only in the Gambia. So we look forward receiving you another time discussing the success, the growth you may have in your career. Thank you once again.

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