The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, has called on stakeholders in the education ...
Professor Ahmed made the call while declaring open the fifth Inaugural Lecture of the university, delivered by Professor Salisu Abubakar of the Department of Accounting, Finance and Financial Reporting, at the Yusuf Bala Usman Hall, ABU, Zaria.
The Vice-Chancellor said that in today’s knowledge economy, value creation is increasingly driven by knowledge, creativity, innovation, experience and, most importantly, people.
He noted that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by Artificial Intelligence, automation and robotics, is rapidly transforming industries and redefining the skills required for the future.
Professor Ahmed therefore urged the academic community to embrace Artificial Intelligence and adapt teaching methods to equip students with relevant knowledge and skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
He also stressed the importance of human-resource development and continuous sensitisation, urging individuals and institutions to create value and develop innovative solutions capable of addressing emerging global challenges.
In his inaugural lecture titled, “From Financial Reporting Gobbledgook to Inevitability: Human Resource Assetization in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Era and Beyond,” Professor Salisu Abubakar said the world had transformed from the information era to a knowledge-based era, paving the way for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Professor Abubakar said the transformation was rapidly evolving towards what could be regarded as the Fifth Industrial Revolution, particularly as service-oriented companies were growing geometrically compared with the more traditional manufacturing sector.
According to him, the development had created significant challenges for accountants to respond adequately to the changing economic and technological environment.
He said accountants had responded by expanding the scope of the discipline while becoming more innovative and inventive, adding that human-resource accounting was one of the innovations emerging within the profession.
The inaugural lecturer argued that the formal adoption of Human Resource Accounting in financial reporting was increasingly becoming inevitable, as the boundary between technology and traditional accounting metrics continued to diminish.
Professor Abubakar recommended action at multiple levels to successfully transition Human Resource Accounting from a theoretical concept into a core operational reality during the Fourth Industrial Revolution and beyond.
He also called for stronger academic and professional development, stressing that professionals of the future must be equipped with multidisciplinary tools required to audit, measure and manage human-asset data effectively.
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