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Lugano, Switzerland - Banana.ch SA is a Swiss company, which develops and distributes Banana Accounting software, and it has been used in school education in several countries, has become the technology partner of a project in Democratic Republic of Congo. The project is required by the Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education of Congo, and the aim is to strengthen accounting teaching and digital skills. The project began in 2016, and plans to train 700'000 students, 13'000 computer science and accounting teachers, a hundred experts and instructors from the country's technical and commercial supply chain by 2025.
Banana.ch SA is the Swiss market leader that develops and distributes Banana Accounting software, mainly used in the SME sector but also in the school training sector. One of the company's objectives is to bring people closer to accounting and to strengthen the accounting teaching processes, making its software available to educational institutions for the training of students. In this way, students are prepared for the world of work, where digital tools are used daily for administration and accounting management, and have the training that is more aligned with the needs of businesses.
Banana Accounting software is already being used for school training in several countries and, recently, the company was selected as the technology partner for a project to strengthen accounting training, which required by the Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following the country's accession in 2012 to OHADA (African Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law), which demands an accounting plan designed to be used with IT tools, the Ministry of Education took the opportunity to launch a nationwide reform of the school system aimed at introducing technological systems to train accounting students, and thus strengthen their digital skills. The project has several objectives, including bridging the digital divide and adapting the students training to the current standards and needs of businesses, making them more competitive on a national and international scale, as well as improving the quality of accounting education in the country. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, the program is very easy to use and can be installed on the computers which are already being used in educational institutions. Moreover, it can be used by teachers and students individually and does not require a permanent internet connection, which makes it particularly well suited to the needs dictated by the circumstances. Banana.ch SA contributes to the project by granting a free license to use the Banana Accounting software, developing it according to the specific needs imposed by the OHADA rules and adapting it to the local technologies. Furthermore, it also plays a facilitating role in the search for funds.
The project, which is very complex, has been developed over several years, and currently in the stage of teacher training. The aim of this phase is through special seminars, people with the necessary skills and technological knowledge can train teachers in provincial institutes. Reinforcing IT skills, however, requires major investments that local authorities are not always able to make. The Ministry of Education is therefore looking for financiers or donors who can provide support and thus enable all the provinces, and especially those that are economically weak, to complete this important phase of the project.
While holding seminars for teachers (some seminars have been held in 9 provinces), the school's experiment also started between 2019 and 2020, and the project has been enthusiastically received by both teachers and students. By 2025, it is expected that around 700'000 students, 13'000 IT and accounting teachers, and a hundred experts and instructors from the country's technical and business supply chain will be trained. Also the companies in this country will benefit indirectly from the project, because there will be qualified personnel to use the computerized accounting system. Social welfare and economic security will also benefit from it, moreover, with the possibility of strengthening its fiscal system, the Congo government can also benefit in a broader sense.
Computer software is still rarely used in the educational training of accountants. Therefore, the project puts the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the forefront of this field, making it a reference point for other institutions or other countries wishing to reform accounting education to make it more responsive to the needs of an increasingly digital world.
Banana.ch SA takes this opportunity to thank the Swiss embassy and the Swiss development aid delegation operating in Congo for their valuable support.
For more information, please read Modernisation of accounting teaching in Congo RDC.
Video (in French):
Digitization of Accounting Education in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Television reportage about the introduction of Banana Accounting in the professional schools of Congo.
Video interview with Nicholas Nyange, principal inspector of Haut Katanga.