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Shepherd Chimururi
Youth Interactive Correspondent
Her dream is to change accounting systems.
Nolisa Sithole, (22) a second year Finance and Accounting Information Systems student at the University of Zimbabwe is not your ordinary student.
She just does not want to be an ordinary accountant.
Developing fast and accurate accounting systems with high data security for small businesses especially vendors is the pinnacle of her ambition.
The ambition is inspired by non-other than the realities of her family business.
Her mother, elder sister and brother are vendors who use hustler waist bags as tills.
When you factor in that she stays less than 100 metres from the hub of Mbare Musika vegetable market where old tins are used as cash boxes, where sales records are virtually non existent, you understand the source of her burning ambition to develop a digital accounting system fit for small businesses.
Accounting information systems is a structure that a business uses to collect, store, manage, retrieve and report financial data so it can be used by accountants.
In an interview with Youth Interactive Sithole explained, “I opted to study accounting systems because I want to develop an app that can help businesses eliminate human errors in when doing transactions. I want to use technology to help people make money. There is a big challenge when it comes to financial management by small businesses. Though it is still too early to say, I have already started to work on the main features of my system because I know the challenges family businesses face day in and day out.
“Developing an easy to use system that can help them is my desire. In today’s business companies have been investing heavily in computerized accounting information systems to respond to complexities and time consuming procedures in the processing of business transactions.
“The movement towards accounting information systems has been a significant part of every business nowadays.
Today a company that defiantly utilizes the capabilities of accounting information systems has the edge of coping up and taking advantage of ever changing business trends.
The issue of errors in business transactions bothers Sithole to the core.
“Manual accounting lacks accuracy and data protection.
Mistakes in manual accounting such as posting transactions twice in the journal kill businesses.
I have seen it in our family business that manual accounting has a lot of human errors.
Sometimes we calculate and recalculate again and again to get an answer,” she said.
Sithole sang another rhyme in glorifying the accounting system, “Reports generated by accounting systems are more reliable than in manual accounting. An accounting system provides a secure and protected storage of financial data.
There is no delay in generating reports for management use as long as all transactions have been entered into the system.
This also eliminates unauthorized access to information.
“The good thing is at college we are using different systems for registration, for accessing study materials, submission of assignments, online learning, payment of fees, etc.
The same can happen to small businesses. They can order stock, manage, transact, using a system and generate an automatic report instead of doing manual counting.
In short they can manage their business remotely,” she said.
If anything Sithole’s digital ambitions area reflection of Education 5.0. Obviously her mind is cast beyond looking for a well-paying job but a digital solution to a problem blocking the path of small businesses.
Gone are the days when tertiary students were glorified for being able to use systems developed by other countries. Developing home grown systems customised to solve local challenges is the way to go. Nothing inspires like the passion to solve a family problem that is common in the society.
Online Reporter