Princess Korkor Boateng, a Level 400 student at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), has made history by becoming the youngest person ever to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in Ghana, at the age of 18.
In April this year, Princess completed her qualifying examinations and looks forward to her induction ceremony in May, 2023.
Her academic journey began at the age of 11, when she passed the Common Entrance Examinations and was admitted into Akosombo International School (AIS) for her Senior Secondary School Education.
Princess performed well in the West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) and gained admission to the University of Ghana at the age of 14 to pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. While studying at the University of Ghana, she started studying for her professional examinations with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG), concurrently.
Princess Korkor stated in an interview with the University of Ghana Public Affairs Media team, that combining the professional course and her university programme was challenging since she had to grapple with the burden of studying for both at the same time. She did, however, mention that studying at both levels was beneficial because both programmes complemented each other.
Commenting on studying with older colleagues, Princess said that she was never intimidated, but rather learnt from older colleagues, who were helpful in explaining practical concepts to her, based on their job experiences. This, she noted, contributed to her success.
She mentioned Mr. Saviour Ewatey, a senior colleague at the ICAG, as being supportive in her professional academic pursuits. She explained that Mr. Ewatey mentored her by setting up tutorial sessions for her to make up for missed classes for the professional programme.
According to the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) prodigy, her drive to be financially independent and inspiration from her mother, Madam Mavis Sarbah, who is also an Accountant, are her motivation.
In a statement, the Dean of the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Professor Justice Bawole, expressed his excitement and congratulated Ms. Boateng for her outstanding accomplishment.
The Dean reiterated that the UGBS is a talent hub that nurtures and develops its students. He described Ms. Boateng as inspiration to her colleagues, particularly young women.
‘As I have said consistently, UGBS is a place that nurtures talents, in Korkor’s case she’s the youngest but there are others that have gone through our programmes and have come out successfully in their professional associations, many of them winning awards not only for being young people but also for being the best in Ghana in particular areas’, Prof. Bawole remarked.
Confirming the achievement of Princess, the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG), Ms. Sena Dake, said, “The amazing thing this April, 2023 is that Princess Korkor Boateng has set a record as the 60th Anniversary Youngest Achiever and has completed the qualifying examination at age 18. The first time ever, beating the record of an earlier Lady Achiever, Hannah Ann Enyan, who finished at age 19 in 2021.”
She expressed her excitement, particularly for the performance of females who undertake the ICAG examinations. “Our Ladies are doing very well, and we are very proud of them”, Ms. Dake remarked.
In addition to her academic and professional achievements, Princess also finds time to engage in social activities. She was appointed as the Deputy Head of the Finance Committee of Elizabeth Frances Sey Hall in 2021 and partnered with The Voice of God International (TVOG) and the youth wing of Assemblies of God (Community Praise Chapel) to reach out to the youth.
She is poised to explore areas such as software development especially accounting-related software, after the completion of her tertiary education.
Her favorite quote in life is, “Life is a series of tiny miracles” and her favorite genre of music is RnB. Her hobbies are photography and watching basketball games.
Princess Korkor Boateng is a true prodigy and trailblazer, and the University of Ghana Business School and the entire University of Ghana community are thrilled to call her one of our own.
