Duramany-Lakkoh Calls for Strategic Role for Management Accountants

Professor Ezekiel Kalvin Duramany-Lakkoh has urged management accountants to move beyond traditional financial reporting and take a more active role in organizational strategy, governance and risk oversight.

He made the remarks while reflecting on his admission as a Chartered Global Management Accountant at a 2026 convocation in Ghana. He said his interest in management accounting had developed over many years after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, driven by the profession’s links to financial strategy, corporate finance and enterprise risk management.

“Accounting has gone far beyond reporting figures,” Professor Duramany-Lakkoh said, as he outlined the contribution management accountants can make to executives and boards.

From figures to decision-making

According to his explanation, management accountants should provide informed financial and commercial perspectives on investment, performance, sustainability and governance. Their responsibilities include budgeting, forecasting, cost management, financial modelling, internal control and risk assessment.

He said the profession should also involve testing the assumptions behind proposed decisions, explaining their financial consequences and helping organizations allocate resources responsibly. Financial information, he added, is most valuable when it is translated into practical insight that supports sound decisions and accountability.

At board level, he said accountants should help directors assess an organization’s financial resilience, determine whether investments support institutional priorities and examine whether management forecasts are based on reliable evidence.

IPAM transformation agenda

Professor Duramany-Lakkoh is also advancing a 2025–2028 agenda at the Institute of Public Administration and Management, a constituent college of the University of Sierra Leone. The programme is focused on strengthening academic offerings, facilities, partnerships and institutional services.

The agenda places additional emphasis on sustainability, digital transformation, entrepreneurship and stronger links between academic programmes and employment. He has encouraged alumni and other partners to support IPAM’s institutional development.

Among the planned infrastructure developments is a four-storey annex at IPAM’s Old Campus. When completed, the building is expected to provide additional lecture theatres, seminar rooms and faculty offices. IPAM was also preparing to commission facilities at its A.J. Momoh Street campus on Tower Hill.

The available information does not specify completion dates for the annex or the Tower Hill facilities. Progress under the transformation agenda is expected to depend on implementation, the completion of facilities, improvements in student services and academic programmes, and the results of institutional partnerships.

Regional cooperation and governance

IPAM’s regional engagement expanded on 22 September 2026 when it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Liberia Institute of Public Administration. The agreement provides a framework for cooperation in public administration, governance, procurement, entrepreneurship, professional development and digital transformation.

Professor Duramany-Lakkoh also spoke separately at an executive training programme in Accra organized by the West Africa Bankers Association. In that address, he said effective governance depends on the combined efforts of Boards, Company Secretaries, Human Resource leaders and other professionals.

He said Non-Executive Directors should provide independent oversight and ask difficult questions about management decisions and institutional risks, reinforcing his broader call for professionals to contribute actively to organizational accountability and performance.