The Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) has cautioned the public, students, employers and other stakeholders against enrolling in or relying on accounting qualifications issued by institutions that are not legally authorised to regulate or certify accounting professionals in Ghana.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, ICAG said a High Court ruling has affirmed that all disciplines of accountancy, including tax accounting, fall under its regulatory mandate.
According to the Institute, the court held in the case involving the Chartered Institute of Certified Tax Accountants, Ghana, that the training, certification, admission and regulation of persons in any field of accountancy are matters reserved exclusively for ICAG.
The court further declared unlawful the activities of the applicant body in presenting itself as an institution authorised to regulate and certify Chartered Certified Tax Accountants. As a result, the organisation was restrained from advertising, training, certifying and admitting persons into such membership.
ICAG noted that the legal position has since been reinforced by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana Act, 2020 (Act 1058), which grants the Institute the sole statutory authority to regulate, train, examine, certify and admit persons into the accountancy profession in Ghana.
The Institute therefore urged the public to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any institution claiming to offer professional accounting qualifications or licences without lawful authority.
It warned that any organisation holding itself out as an authorised regulator or certifier of accounting professionals without legal backing could face challenges under Ghanaian law.
The caution follows a High Court judgment delivered in February 2022 by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo. In the ruling, the court held that tax accounting is a discipline of accountancy and therefore falls within the regulatory scope of ICAG.
The court concluded that the Chartered Institute of Certified Tax Accountants had no legal mandate to regulate or certify tax accountants and restrained it from advertising, educating, training or awarding certifications as Chartered Certified Tax Accountants.
ICAG said it remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of the accountancy profession and will continue taking appropriate steps against individuals or institutions that misrepresent themselves as professional accountancy bodies contrary to law.
Established by an Act of Parliament in 1963 and now governed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana Act, 2020 (Act 1058), ICAG is the statutory body responsible for regulating the accountancy profession in Ghana. Its members are also the only persons recognised under the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) to audit company accounts.
