To All Concerned Eritreans and Friends of Eritrea:
Upon entering his office in downtown Asmara, little did I know that a question would
come my way that I could not answer. After all, I spent the better part of the morning
preparing for this meeting. I had pages of notes I had prepared while sipping
cappuccinos at Bar Impero. But all the notes I made to myself were of no use to this
simple and innocent question.
"Where Are They?" is the question the Auditor General of Eritrea asked me after I spent
over half an hour debriefing him on the status of the Eritrean Accounting Association.
The Auditor General, Ato Berhane Habtemariam, was, of course, referring to Eritrean
accountants, auditors, and financial analysts in the diaspora.
Recognizing I was unable to provide him with a direct answer, the gentleman sitting
across from me opted to give me a break. He dismissed the question, and in place of it
asked me to pass on the following message:
"Our infant nation is," the Auditor General emphasized, "rising out of the ashes
brought about from the thirty years of bloodshed. Through this current reconstruction
and development period, in which the country's infrastructure is being rebuilt and
businesses are sprouting up daily, little Eritrea is facing a critical shortage of
qualified accountants, auditors, and financial analysts."
"Simply said," the Auditor General continued, "there is an insufficient number of
qualified accounting professionals in Eritrea to serve the business community. We need
Eritrean accountants with expertise in their fields to return and serve the private
sector. And any help the Eritrean Accounting Association can do to help foster the
accounting field in Eritrea -be it with human or material resources- would be
tremendously appreciated."
Nearly five weeks after my visit with the Auditor General, I am finding myself sitting
in my office in San Francisco asking the same question. This time, however, I am
probing for an answer as to why only fifteen individuals have demonstrated their
commitment to join the Eritrean Accounting Association (EAA). This is the case despite
the numerous letters Dr. Araya Debessay and Ms. Lemlem Tseggai Natnael sent to fellow
Eritreans inviting them to join EAA.
My fellow Eritreans, I am writing this note to ask for your help. I kindly request that
you refer Eritrean accountants, professionals and students alike, that you know of to
the Eritrean Accounting Association. As you can probably deduce from the Auditor
General's statements above, those of us in the accounting field are expected to
shoulder a proportionate share of the burden involved in fostering the accounting
profession in our young nation. Among the challenges EAA faces ahead include: supplying
the University of Asmara with accounting text books and computers; assisting in the
establishment of generally accepted accounting practices; and furnishing accounting
professionals and academics to Eritrea on temporary and permanent basis.
To fulfill these and other challenges, however, we in the Eritrean Accounting
Association need your assistance. Please help us shoulder our responsibilities by
referring any and all Eritrean accountants, auditors, and financial analysts you know
of to any of the following EAA members. Please feel free to send an e-mail note to:
Araya Debessay:..............debessay@udel.edu
Lemlem Tseggai Natnael:......natnael_lemlem@bah.com
Adda Tewolde:................tewolde@crab.rutgers.edu
John Tesfazghi:..............eritrean@ix.netcom.com
On behalf of my colleagues in the Eritrean Accounting Association and the Auditor
General, allow me to thank you in advance for your anticipated assistance.
Sincerely,
John Tesfazghi
Auditor
Chevron Corporation
San Francisco, CA
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