19. Lao PDR has a shortage of qualified professional accountants. Around 2,000
companies are registered with the Ministry of Commerce, but the LICPA has only 150
individual members. There is a lack of well-trained and qualified local auditors. Many
audit firms, including the members of large international firm networks, do not have an
adequate number of qualified local Lao PDR staff to conduct work. There are 40
accounting firms operating in Lao PDR, including 3 local offices of the large
international accounting firm networks. Much of the audit work carried out by the
international firms is for group reporting purposes or for lenders and falls outside of the
statutory reporting arena. All 16 banks and 4 insurance companies, as well as most large
corporate entities, are audited by local members of international firm networks. The small
local audit firms mostly concentrate on tax and bookkeeping services with only
occasional audit work for medium-size and small companies.
20. The LICPA members are required to have completed a 6-month training and
examination program that includes 10 subjects. More than 400 certificates of
completion have been issued since 1996 when the program was first introduced by the
Ministry of Finance. However, only 150 persons have LICPA membership. The
training program is in the Lao language hence no foreign persons have yet completed
the program and obtained LICPA membership. No foreign-based professional
accountancy training program is active within Lao PDR, hence few local persons hold
any IFAC-affiliated professional accountancy qualifications.
21. The LICPA has an operational certification scheme for accountants, but there
is no recognized system of auditor certification and licensing in Lao PDR. There is
little or no awareness of the requirements of International Education Standard (IES) 8,
Competence Requirements for Audit Professionals, the IFAC-issued training and
experience requirements. Competence in this area requires a higher level of education
and training in audit and related areas than is required of other professional accountants.
Without a managed and controlled scheme of training, examination, certification, and
licensing, Lao PDR cannot develop a genuine audit profession capable of carrying out
audits in compliance with ISA. A grandfathering-type scheme will be required in Lao
PDR with a provision that all existing accountants and auditors subject to
‘grandfathering’ should be required to undergo intensive training. Looking toward the
future, a system of education and examination, compliant with all International Education
Standards should be introduced for future accountants and auditors.