Business
ACCA Uganda Launches 2025 CFO Awards, Championing Financial Leadership and Legacy
The 2025 Uganda CFO Awards have officially been launched at the Kampala Serena Hotel. Organized by ACCA Uganda in partnership with Deloitte, this year marks the ninth edition of the prestigious awards program dedicated to celebrating excellence in financial leadership. Themed “Creating Impact and Legacy,” the awards spotlight Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) as strategic leaders and agents of lasting change within organizations.
Charlotte Kukunda, Country Manager for ACCA Uganda, emphasized the growing influence and visibility of CFOs in Uganda’s corporate landscape.
“We need to help people envision themselves as CFOs. Over the past three years, the transformation in our database is amazing. We have managed to amplify the role of CFOs, and I look forward to your nominations,” Kukunda said
The awards have grown in scope and stature since inception, now featuring 10 categories, including: Not-for-Profit, SME (for businesses with 5–100 staff and UGX 360 million – 25 billion in turnover, Public Sector, Compliance and Governance, Strategy Execution, Finance Transformation and Technology, Sustainability, Leadership, Young CFO (now capped at 35 years of age)
Nominations close on Friday, September 5, with winners to be announced at a gala event in November.
Corporate partners including Stanbic Bank, Uganda Airlines, and BIC continue to back the initiative. Uganda Airlines has sweetened the prize pot with two business-class tickets and two economy tickets to any of its 15 destinations for winners.
Delivering the keynote address, Mumba Kenneth Kalifungwa FCCA, CEO of Stanbic Bank Uganda, explored the event’s legacy theme:
“Legacy is how you will be remembered. For me, it’s about leaving a system better than you found it. It’s not just about execution, it’s about understanding people and systems,” Kalifungwa said.
He also shared personal stories of mentors who inspired his professional growth, including his father, a former boss, and a colleague who shaped his vision of becoming a CFO in Botswana.
A panel discussion featuring finance leaders from both public and private sectors further deepened the conversation on the evolving role of CFOs. Panelists included:
Godfrey Ssemugooma FCCA, Acting Accountant General, Ministry of Finance, Nirav Patel FCCA, Executive Director, Steel and Tube Industries Ltd and Paul Kavuma, CEO, Jubilee Allianz General Insurance
Patel stressed the importance of ethics in financial leadership:
“Intention and character are at the heart of ethical decision-making.”
Kavuma described CFOs as key drivers of business sustainability:
“A CFO must interpret business trends, manage stakeholders, and secure long-term business viability.”
Ssemugooma noted the universal nature of accountability:
“Whether in the public or private sector, success is measured by the value you create and the services you deliver.”
Besides the awards, the program also features capacity-building sessions such as the CFO Workshop. The selection process for winners is guided by seven pillars of excellence: expertise, collaboration, digital acumen, drive, insight, sustainability, and leadership.
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