South Africa’s pipeline of future financial leaders is under threat as funding shortages, poor access to mentorship, and a lack of representation continue to lock talented young Black women out of the chartered accountancy profession.
The warning comes from the African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA), which says financial exclusion is preventing many aspiring chartered accountants from entering and completing one of the country’s most influential professions despite growing efforts to transform the sector.
AWCA Head of Student Chapters Ntebaleng Twala said the profession remains overwhelmingly unrepresentative of South Africa’s demographics, with Black women accounting for only a small fraction of the country’s chartered accountants.
“We are currently 57,000 CAs, and within that base you find that 12% are Black women, and that just indicates how much work still needs to be done,” said Twala.
Chartered accountants occupy some of the most critical positions in the economy, helping to drive financial governance, accountability, economic growth, and corporate leadership across both the public and private sectors.
