His aims and aspirations were set towards having a strong foundation to gain entry into university and come out as a leader in the field of accounting. In his final year in Senior High School, his accounting teacher introduced him to the ACCA qualification and the opportunities it presented. ‘When you write ACCA, you become highly in demand,’ was one of his teacher’s favourite quotes. Alexander therefore had a strong desire to become ACCA qualified by the time he completed his university’s degree programme.
He entered the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 2013 to study a four-year Bachelor of Commerce programme. He formed a group that met regularly to share ideas and study together. Using his leadership skills, he was able to sustain the group from the second year until the final year.
In March 2016, he became an ACCA-registered student under the Accelerate programme. Shortly after that, in June 2016, he wrote his first paper on F6 Taxation (UK variant). This first paper gained him national recognition as Best Performing Student in Ghana for Paper F6, June 2016 sitting.
This was Alexander’s first taste of an ACCA award and sparked his zeal to achieve more. ‘While everyone is fighting to get the 50-mark pass, I want to aim higher so that when I fall, I won’t fall below the 50 pass mark,’ he says.
Alexander received another national award as the Best Performing Student in Paper P2 Corporate Reporting (March 2017 sitting) after scoring 77%. In the world ranking, he placed third and this was a first of its kind in Ghana. This enviable achievement delighted his tutors, colleagues, family and ACCA Ghana.
‘I was proud of my mark in the paper when the results were released, but little did I know it was the third best in the world,’ he says.
On the UCC campus, Alexander did more than just the normal curricula activities. He was the treasurer of the Protestant and Pentecostal Chaplaincy Committee (PPCC) of the University and vice president of the ACCA Campus Club-UCC. His contributions to the campus club helped the members achieve a 77% pass rate in the March 2017 sitting. Consequently, the club won the best campus club award during this year’s Student Summit and Job Fair.
He then undertook his national service posting at the Department of Accounting, School of Business (UCC), where he served as a Teaching Assistant for Advance Financial Reporting.
He wrote his final two papers, Paper P4 Advanced Financial Management and Paper P7 Advanced Auditing and Assurance, passing with high marks in both papers and successfully becoming an Affiliate. He spends his leisure time preparing other people for their ACCA papers, not only in Ghana but also internationally through social media platforms.
‘The difficult part of everything is the beginning,’ he says. ‘If you can start something today, that means you have the chance of completing it. Never be afraid to take the first step because, if you do, one day you will certainly walk down that path. Why not start now?’
If there’s one thing that makes ACCA training unique, tell us what it is
Flexibility. I am self-confident person, very persistent - I prepared myself for all exams. ACCA allows you to prepare with a learning provider, but if you want to prepare by yourself there are a lot of resources, including videos, cases, and study-books that help you to master the skills.
