Accountants Will Adopt AI Tools But Keep Professional Ethics – ICAN President

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has affirmed that accountants will adopt artificial intelligence (AI) as a professional tool while upholding core ethical standards, saying AI can enhance work but cannot replace integrity, transparency and accountability.

The call was made by the 62nd president of the Institute, Hajia Queensley Sofuratu Segoshime, who said its members will continue to embrace technology even with the invention of Artificial Intelligence.

Speaking during the investiture of the 16th chairman of Abuja and District Society, Chukwuemeka Okoroeze and the inauguration of 2026/2027 executive committee in Abuja on Saturday, Segoshime

said:”Our members are already in the forefront of innovation and we continue to do that. We will continue to sustain it. We intend to sustain the level of innovation that our members already have. We intend to strengthen the use of AI and digital capacity of our members, which we are already doing. Of course, you know that as ICAN members, you must train, retrain and learn. It’s part of what we are built to do.

There are certain requirements that you must have, certain numbers that you must continue to maintain yearly for you to be in that register annually. So, of course, our people are willing to continue to sustain, learning and relearning.

However, Seghoseme warned that though machines can do a lot, they cannot maintain integrity, transparency and other ethics that accountants uphold, hence the role of accountants remained very vital.

“Our members are aware about what we expect of them. Our ethics of transparency, accountability, integrity. Of course, like I rightly said, machines can do quite a lot. But the machines are not the ones that are going to talk to you about integrity.

They are not the ones that are going to tell you about ethics, of course.You know quite a lot. So, our members are going to continue to stand by the values upon which our foundation is built.

And that is accuracy and integrity.” the President said.

Corroborating this, the newly inaugurated chairman of the Abuja District and Society,  Chukwuemeka Okoroeze said there has been this argument over the years whether AI is going to take the job of the accountant but he believes it will not.

“Starting first and foremost with our transformation agenda in terms of innovation.Looking at the fact that as it is today, technology has taken over.There has been this argument over the years whether AI is going to take the job of chartered accountants. And for us, we have said no. All Chartered accountants need to do is add AI as part of our working tools. So, what we are talking about today is in terms of data analytics. Chartered accountants need to be able to rise to the occasion, get trained, get the relevant AI skill that they need to be able to make their work easy. What we are saying is that we are going to provide a platform basically for training so that our young Chartered accountants will receive the requisite training in AI, in data analytics that will help them to be able to adjust and adapt to the trends.

“If they are able to do it, as many as are able to do it, it will make it easy for them to get jobs.And even in situations like this, no longer looking at just audits, but being business solution providers. We found out that SMEs in Abuja and other parts of the country today are not just looking for people that will help them to fulfill the statutory obligation of filing annual returns, but who can help them to scale their businesses especiallyin this season, where the world is moving so fast with AI. So, that mission is to ensure that young accountants get trained. In our district, we will provide them platform to learn these skills so they can accept such big roles and responsibilities.”

Okoroeze said his chairmanship year will be guided by a single unifying theme: Driving Economic Resilience through Digital Innovation and Fiscal Integrity.

He said: “ the vision rest upon three strategic pillars called Three Point Agenda which are private- sector integration, digital transformation and the Legacy project. The private sector integration entails we launching the SME Financial Toolkit and the Abuja Business Clinics designed to take the services of its members in practice directly into boardrooms of Garki,the technology hub of Wuse and the development corridors of Guzape.

“The Initiative will open doors of opportunity, creating,both a marketplace and a training ground where our young accountants can find work,sharpen their skills and flourish. It’s multiplier effect will strengthen our membership drive,build the capacity of our members and projects our great institute to the world as an association of unrivalled repute.” Okoroeze said.

The chairman of the occasion and retired Director of Operations of the DSS, Raymond’s Nkemdirim said the new ICAN Abuja District Chairman is a visionary leader who will pilot the affairs of the association in the right direction and to greater heights.

He urged him to remain focused and dedicated as he work with the newly inaugurated executive of the district.