IDM TRAINS BOTSWANA DEFENCE FORCE (BDF) ON THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING STANDARDS (IPSAS)

IDM's commitment to advancing the government's national agenda has been confirmed by the Institute’s ability to respond to its varied customer base. In order to address the skills gap at the various government departments and enable them to report in accordance with the international accounting standards, IDM recently trained Botswana Defence Force on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). This program was designed to equip practitioners with required knowledge and skills to improve the financial accounting system.
 
Through a five (5) day training program, IDM capacitated BDF employees to develop a plan for transitioning to the accrual basis of accounting, a new standard which has been designed to promote more transparency, improve accountability and provide better information for decision-making purposes.
 
Officially opening the training, the Accountant General Mr Kealeboga Molelowatladi said that governments are moving towards IPSAS globally, hence there is a need to roll out training of accounts personnel in order to prepare for implementation and migration to accrual accounting.
 
He underscored some of the benefits that public sector entities would enjoy from the adoption of IPSAS. “Firstly, it improves the quality and reliability of financial information, making it easier for stakeholders to assess an entity's financial health and make informed decisions. Secondly, it enhances accountability by ensuring that public sector entities report their financial activities in a transparent and consistent manner. Lastly, it facilitates comparability between different entities, allowing for benchmarking and analysis across jurisdictions”, said Mr Molelowatladi.
 
For his part, IDM Country Director, Dr Theophilus Mooko, commended the BDF for positioning themselves with an IPSAS training, becoming the second government entity after the Office of the Accountant General to be equipped by IDM.
 
“We deliberately developed a solution that we believe will enhance the capacity of Public Accounts and Auditors in the implementation of these accounting standards. We realize this is a significant priority for our country to align to the international accounting standards. I believe and trust that the IDM IPSAS experts have transformed and upskilled you to be able to prepare compliant accrual-basis financial statements. BDF is indeed one of the pioneers of IPSAS in our country and we hope you will hand-hold other government ministries in the implementation,” added Dr. Mooko.
 
When closing the training, Deputy Director Defence Asset Management, Colonel Chris Ramogaladi cautioned that BDF now looks forward to a more productive phase and that the program graduands are now equipped to create necessary conditions for a reliable and sustainable environment conducive to this noble project and to add value to the government's effort of prudent financial management and accountability to national resources.
 
‘‘With the culmination of this workshop, the Botswana Defence Force is yet again excited to receive a retrained workforce that would help to strengthen our capacity to prudently establish, manage, and support the development of our new financial management system. I am told the workshop left you with plenty of ideas, information, and visions to reflect upon.’’ He concluded.
 
The course covers an introduction to the current suite of IPSAS and it is aimed primarily at Central Government, Local Authorities and State Owned Enterprises and Non-Governmental Organization currently using a cash basis of accounting and transitioning to accrual IPSAS.