National Imperatives
A Profession of National Value
Social and economic contribution has always been at the core of SAICA’s activities.
As a profession, we are so committed to the higher purpose of ‘building a better world for all’ that our constitution embeds ‘responsible leadership’ into our strategic intentions to ensurethat we continuously ensure that our work’s impact extends beyond the ordinary realm of business. That purpose is not as abstract as many believe.
As a member organisation, our commitment to creating value for our members is entrenched in all we do. This is done in a number of ways including our extensive list of national imperative projects which seek to improve the social standing of the SAICA brand, protect the value of our three membership designations, and illustrate how members contribute to this profession of national value.
From a business perspective, and a citizen one, there can be no nobler goal than being part of the solutions that address the major social, environmental and economic problems our world faces. For South Africa, our top three areas of concern remain the lack of access to quality education for all, extreme poverty and unemployment, particularly in the youth demographic, as well as the ever-growing inequality gap between our citizens. It is for these reasons that projects contributing towards solutions for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)remain a core focus of our business. In addition to these issues, SAICA is also proactively involved in projects that promote partnerships for the SDGs as well as those that drive critical policy reform so as to strengthen critical institutions within the public and private sectors.
In light of this, the donor-funded programmes implemented by and housed under SAICA’s National Imperative initiatives exemplify the concept of value creation for our members and the country. These are specifically focused on projects that seek to:
- Grow the pipeline of future accountants
- Support the transformation of the profession and the country, and
- Provide decent and meaningful opportunities and services for disenfranchised South Africans
If ever there was a compelling need for responsible leadership in South Africa it is now.
According to the most recent World Inequality Report, South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. This is largely due to the historically deep-rooted economic, social and political exclusions and structural bottlenecks created by apartheid. Indeed, the only way to truly address the plight of the country’s poorest citizens is to improve the standard of education available so as to minimise the impact of the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
As a business, we need to serve the disadvantaged, who continue to remain critically under-funded and under-resourced despite our now well-cemented democracy. Among the best ways to do this is to raise the bar from school to postgraduate level in order to create avenues through which our youth can gain sustainable and meaningful employment.
As we have done since the organisation began, SAICA continues its efforts to step forward to support the people of South Africa, with a particular focus on projects that ultimately aim to reduce poverty, deliver quality education, create decent work and employment, build strong institutions, and support the work of key stakeholders.
SAICA’s annual Impact Reports build upon the foundation laid by our annual IntegratedReports and give a consolidated account of how SAICA contributes to the country’s most critical SDGs and reflects on our continued commitment to sustainability for the profession, the country and indeed the globe. You can access these reports below.