Thanks to You Lote Ogbechie, more Nigerians are aspiring to attain global accreditation through professional exams, making a difference to their career ambitions.
The British Council in Nigeria administers exams on behalf of UK professional institutions and organisations at its centres in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Kano offering young adults the chance to earn internationally-recognised, UK professional qualifications from within Nigeria.
One such professional exams are the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The ACCA is the largest and fastest-growing international accountancy body with over 300,000 students and members. ACCA is one of the most respected qualifications that is globally recognised. The benefits of ACCA certification are innumerable, once achieved; you become a member of an elite group of the world's leading accounting professionals greatly opening up opportunities for employment as well as entrepreneurship.
By providing the option for young adults to not only take this exam in Nigeria but also receive instruction, guidance and training, the British Council has opened–up vast opportunities for them to set up professional careers in the corporate world and to establish multiple streams of income.
For Lote Ogbechie, taking the exams has allowed her to achieve “competitive advantage amongst my peers in associated fields and have more global opportunities available to me than prior to ACCA”.
Lote submitted her impact story, as part of British Council Nigeria’s “Thanks to You” campaign to celebrate 75 years in Nigeria. The campaign aims to showcase past participants of its programmes who have made a difference to their communities as a result of career acceleration following participation in a programme.
In 2017, Lote arrived in Nigeria from the United Kingdom after completing a degree at the University of Surrey in Economics and Finance and desired a career change to an Audit role “I realised the importance of the role in this fast-changing global economy and the impact it had on economic growth. Having limited knowledge in that field did not deter me as a role in audit aligned with my career goal of being a forward-thinking professional”.
Her research into the benefits of an ACCA accreditation aligned with her career objectives and she decided to take the exams, registering with the British Council. Her background in Finance and Economics placed her in good stead as she was exempted from writing the foundation exams. Exposure to the examination process gave her a glimpse into the career and professional path she was aiming for and she loved it, attaining high marks on the computer-based Performance Management exam, accelerating her path to membership.
Today Lote says “following my sitting of the required examinations, I realise that I am more knowledgeable about different subjects, I can explain tax laws, give insight on accounting standards to my fellow colleagues and analyse financial statements”.