The Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) has issued a warning to the public, students, employers, and other stakeholders against enrolling in or depending on accounting qualifications provided by institutions that lack the legal authority to regulate or certify accounting professionals in Ghana.
In a statement released on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, ICAG indicated that a High Court ruling has confirmed that all areas of accountancy, including tax accounting, are under its regulatory jurisdiction.
The Institute stated that the court ruled in the case concerning the Chartered Institute of Certified Tax Accountants, Ghana, that the training, certification, admission, and regulation of individuals in any area of accountancy are matters exclusively reserved for ICAG.
Furthermore, the court deemed the actions of the applicant body unlawful for presenting itself as an institution authorised to regulate and certify Chartered Certified Tax Accountants.
Consequently, the organisation was prohibited from advertising, training, certifying, and admitting individuals into such membership.
ICAG emphasised that this legal position has been further reinforced by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana Act, 2020 (Act 1058), which grants the Institute the exclusive statutory authority to regulate, train, examine, certify, and admit individuals into the accountancy profession in Ghana.
The Institute, therefore, urged the public to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any institution that claims to offer professional accounting qualifications or licenses without lawful authority.
It cautioned that any organisation presenting itself as an authorised regulator or certifier of accounting professionals without legal backing may encounter challenges under Ghanaian law.
This warning follows a High Court judgement delivered in February 2022 by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo. In the ruling, the court determined that tax accounting is a discipline of accountancy and thus falls within the regulatory purview of ICAG.
The caution follows a High Court judgement 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 stated that 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.
