The president of the Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants (ISIA), Johnson Lobo, has described the theme of this year’s Annual Congress as a challenge to every participant and to the accounting profession as a whole.

The third ISIA Annual Congress ran in Honiara from Thursday 17 to Friday 18 September under the theme “Beyond Qualifications: Building a Workforce that Thinks, Leads, and Creates.”

The congress is ISIA’s flagship event. It brings accounting professionals together with business and industry leaders and Government to discuss issues affecting the profession and to seek collaborative, sustainable ways to strengthen the country’s financial management systems.

Mr Lobo said the gathering was about more than accounting. It was a chance to reflect on the future of the profession, the workforce and the nation.

“This Congress comes at a critical time. Solomon Islands is changing. Our economy is changing. Technology is changing. And the expectations placed on our institutions are rising. Therefore, our profession must evolve,” he said.

Mr Lobo said professional qualifications rightly deserve celebration because they demonstrate knowledge, discipline and commitment. But a qualification, he said, is the beginning of professional responsibility, not the end.

The world no longer needs accountants who simply record what has happened, he said.

“We need professionals who understand why it happened, what it means, what could happen next, and what to do about it. We must move from reporting to advising, compliance to leadership, data to insight, and knowledge to action,” he said.

“The accountant of tomorrow must be more than a custodian of numbers, we must be custodians of trust.”

Mr Lobo noted that nation-building is often associated with roads, bridges, ports and schools, but behind every successful project, budget and major investment lies sound financial management and a system of accountability.

Accountants in Government, the private sector, State-Owned Enterprises and private practice all share a duty that extends beyond their employers, he said.

“Every dollar must be managed responsibly. Every procurement decision must withstand scrutiny. Every public resource must be treated as a public trust.”

He also addressed the rise of artificial intelligence. “Technology and artificial intelligence can process millions of transactions in seconds. But technology cannot replace professional judgement grounded in integrity. Technology may change how we work, but it must never change what we stand for,” he said.

The second part of the theme is leadership. Mr Lobo called for professionals who lead on the strength of competence, character and courage rather than position or title.

“Leadership means speaking up when others remain silent. It means asking uncomfortable questions, protecting the public interest when it is difficult, accepting responsibility when things go wrong, and sharing credit when things go right.

“We must produce accountants who sit confidently at the decision-making table, not merely to explain the numbers, but to help shape the decisions that drive our nation forward,” he said.

The third part of the theme is a call to young professionals to create opportunities and embrace innovation.