Princess Korkor Boateng
Princess Korkor Boateng is being celebrated for emerging the “youngest person ever,” at age 18, to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in Ghana.
The level 400 student who is studying Business Administration at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) has been congratulated on the University’s official Twitter handle and continues to receive goodwill messages across social media platforms.
In a recent interaction with The Spectator, the young achiever spoke about the role of her family, the rudiments of the test, and the hurdles she overcame in attaining this feat.
According to Princess, the motivation came from her mother, Ms Mary Sarbah who recommended that she apply for the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) course early enough to avoid the strain of combining work and studies in future.
She started the course in 2019 after gaining admission into the University and completed her last set of papers in April 2023. As young as she is,, she feels “comfortable” rubbing shoulders with colleagues of different age groups.
She said although some people did pass inauspicious comments, she was still focused on attaining her goal.
“Every accountant’s dream is to take the course a step further even to the highest level. Either way I knew I would do it, therefore, we thought it wise to start early and save ourselves the stress.
“I am happy I was able to finish the test and my mother who is an accountant, is proud to see her daughter step in her shoes. It is encouraging to see that my success has made people take steps forward to achieve their goals,” she said.
Apart from obtaining secondary and tertiary education, the road to becoming a Chartered Accountant comes in three levels.
“There is no fixed timeline to write any papers. You can choose to take the four papers one at a time or write them at a go. In Level 1, we write four papers, six papers in Level 2 and four papers in Level 3.
“Depending on a candidate’s schedule and the pace in passing the papers, one could finish within two years or take 10 years to write,” she explained.
“After first degree, especially as a Business student, one might have previously done certain courses in the university and this would not require them to repeat some ICA courses,” she added.
Princess said she was first unwilling to sit for the test because she had wanted to “enjoy a bit of life in the university” but the courage she eventually mustered has paid off.
“I thought there was ample time in the university especially when you do not have any leadership responsibility. But once I took the decision to start, I have been able to get the results,” she said, acknowledging the immense contribution of her family and colleagues on the rugged journey to success.
“I know it is unwise to inform everybody about your plans, however, there were some people who I confided in because I knew along the way I would need help. Some of them were already within the working environment and their practical explanations helped me a lot,” she said.
Time management, discipline and perseverance have been some of the key elements of Princess’ academic progress. She said in spite of her tight schedules, she was able to combine UGBS and ICA courses effectively.
Princess attended Akosombo International School, a Ghanaian co-educational international second-cycle institution in the Eastern Region. She hopes to delve into the world of technology after completing her first degree.
She is a budding photographer and enjoys listening to poetry performances. Her mother and other female chartered accountants are her role models.
While urging the youth to pursue their dream in the face of challenges, she asked women to rise up to the task and match their male counter-parts in every field of study or at the workplace.”
By Yunusah Essandoh