University of Ghana Business Student is Best Graduating ICAG Chartered Accountant

Michael Siaw Larbi on the left

21 year old Michael Siaw Larbi, a level 400 student of the University of Ghana Business School has graduated from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) as the Overall Best Candidate in the Final Level CA Professional Examinations. The ICAG held its 25th Graduation & Admission Ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre on the 24th of October, 2015 to graduate 278 Chartered Accountants who passed the Final Level exams in May 2015 and to formally admit 292 Chartered Accountants into Membership of the Institute.

Michael qualified as a Chartered Accountant within a record time of less than 2 years, at age 21, with first time passes in all 16 professional level papers in exactly 4 consecutive exam sittings. For this remarkable feat, he was also awarded as the “Overall Best Candidate (First Attempt) – CA Final Level Exams” in addition to his 1st Rank Holder award as “Overall Best Candidate – CA Final Examinations”. Michael has indeed become a great source of inspiration to the youth and all those who want to follow this path. With no prior business and accounting background, he has completely dispelled the myth that you need an accounting and business background to succeed in the CA exams.

With a General Arts background from the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School (PRESEC-Legon), with electives in Economics, Geography, Government and Elective Mathematics, he studied for his CA Part 1 Exams and wrote the exam in November 2013 whilst he was a Level 200 student at the University of Ghana. He completed the entire CA program whilst in Level 300. Even though he described his first foundation level accounting paper as “not so good” since it was his first ever accounting exam, he passed all 4 papers in the same exam session and was Nationwide Topper for the November 2013 CA Part 1 Exams.

He therefore began studying for the Part 2 CA exams and wrote the exam in the May 2014 CA exam sitting. He wrote and passed all 4 papers again in that exam session and once again was Nationwide Topper for the May 2014 CA Part 2 Exams. This served as a great confidence booster for the November 2014 Part 3 CA Exams as he studied and wrote all 4 Part 3 papers; namely Financial Reporting, Financial Management, Public Sector Accounting and Cost & Management Accounting. Michael once again cleared all 4 papers in a single exam sitting; a feat that rarely occurs in the Part 3 exam.

In May 2015, he sat for the final level papers and once again cleared all 4 papers on the first attempt and topped the entire CA Exams as 1st Rank Holder and Overall Best Candidate only at age 21. He was also recognized as Overall Best Candidate for clearing all the exams on his first attempt. Michael is currently in his final year (Level 400) at the University of Ghana Business School majoring in Banking & Finance. He is indeed a great source of inspiration to the youth of Ghana and to all those with fears of chasing their dreams and pursuing their passion. Congratulations once again to 21 year old Michael Siaw Larbi, May 2015 CA All Ghana Topp