By JUDITH NAMUTOWE –

SECRETARY to the Cabinet Roland Msiska has called for money management and wealth creation to ensure economic growth.
Dr Msiska said economic growth was key to national development and called for the empowerment of the citizens if Zambia was to attain desired economic growth.
He said this when he officiated at the launch of  the University of Zambia (UNZA), Zambia Centre  for Accountancy Studies (ZICAS) and Zambia Institute of  Chartered Accountants (ZICA) bachelor of accountancy degree programme in Lusaka on Friday.
Dr Msiska said the programme was designed to meet the growing demand for professionally qualified accountants who have acquired academic competences.
“Thus the collaboration between UNZA, ZCAS and ZICA therefore presents an opportunity to produce a product that will help to raise the standard of accounting in the country and region,” Dr Msiska said.
He noted that Zambia’s prosperity depended on a population of technically capable people and therefore, there continues to be a critical need for empowering the nation.
Dr Msiska said building investor confidence depends not only on technical knowledge, but also on having transparent and effective management systems.
“Through the delivery of programmes such as this bachelor of accountancy degree, we call all be confident   of an even wealthier future,” he said.
He also noted that Zambia had only achieved two of the eight Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) so far adding that the degree programme which has been launched was a good example of how important it is that Zambia should have achieved the MDGs.
Dr Msiska said the programme was in contributing towards the fulfilment of at least   two of the key reasons why the MDGs should have been met.
He challenged other institutions in Zambia  to emulate the mode of collaboration  that has been  ably demonstrated by three players in the  development  and implementation  of the  bachelor of accountancy.
A the same occasion, Zambia  Centre for Accountancy Studies (ZCAS) executive director and chief executive officer   Alvert Ng’andu hailed UNZA for its contribution  towards delivering  its  mandate.
“We shall work towards ensuring that the Accountancy degree programme becomes a success,” Dr Ngandu said.
He said in addition to the degree programme, ZCAS was collaborating with UNZA to  provide  seven other programmes which include bachelor of laws and commercial law, bachelor of arts and financial services, bachelor  of accounting with education, bachelor of computing  with education, and bachelor of business entrepreneurship, bachelor of accounting and finance and  bachelor of business administration.