ISSA 5000 in Ghana: ICAG's Sustainability Assurance Roadmap Explained
ICAG has issued Ghana’s implementation roadmap for ISSA 5000. It sets the country’s assurance framework, phased dates, practitioner and firm requirements, and rules for presenting and signing sustainability assurance reports.
On 17 August 2026, the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) issued its International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000 Implementation Road Map. The directive explains how sustainability-related financial disclosures prepared in Ghana under IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards are to be assured.
The roadmap sets out when limited and reasonable assurance become mandatory for each group. It also states who may lead an engagement, what a licensed firm must have in place, and where the assurance report belongs in the annual report.
This MSL explainer follows the directive’s dates and terminology closely. Where we add practical preparation points, they are clearly identified as MSL guidance rather than additional ICAG requirements.
- Directive
- ICAG ISSA 5000 Implementation Road Map, reference DIR/ICAG/SAP/20/08/26
- Issued
- By the Council of ICAG on 17 August 2026
- Core standard
- ISSA 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements
- Effective date
- Periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, or information reported at a specific date on or after that date
- Who may assure
- An ICAG-licensed Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (CSAP) operating through a Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firm
- Assurance levels
- Phased movement from limited assurance to reasonable assurance, with Scope 3 and other complex disclosures treated separately during transition
- Report placement
- Immediately before the sustainability report to which it relates in the annual report
What ICAG’s ISSA 5000 directive covers
Ghana already has a phased roadmap for adopting IFRS S1 and IFRS S2. Those standards govern the sustainability-related financial information an entity prepares. The new ICAG directive addresses the next question: how that information is independently assured.
The directive states that sustainability reports prepared in Ghana in accordance with IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards shall be assured by a CSAP licensed by ICAG and operating through a Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firm. The engagement must follow ISSA 5000, the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (IESSA), applicable quality-management standards, and any further ICAG requirements.
IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 are reporting standards. They specify the sustainability-related financial disclosures an entity prepares.
ISSA 5000 is an assurance standard. It guides how a practitioner obtains evidence and reaches a conclusion on sustainability information.
The roadmap also sets Ghana-specific rules for licensing, oversight, report placement and signing. Boards and reporting teams need to plan for those rules because the assurance report forms part of the annual report.
How ISSA 5000, IESSA and quality management fit together
ISSA 5000 is the engagement standard at the centre of the roadmap. It covers the assurance lifecycle, including acceptance and continuance, planning, risk assessment, evidence, procedures and reporting. It is reporting-framework neutral and can be applied across environmental, social, economic and cultural sustainability matters.
The standard supports both limited and reasonable assurance engagements. It is also profession-agnostic at international level, although practitioners remain subject to the eligibility, competence, ethics and licensing rules that apply in their jurisdiction. In Ghana, the ICAG directive supplies those local requirements.
| Instrument | Role in the framework | Effective or applicable point |
|---|---|---|
| ISSA 5000 | Requirements for performing sustainability assurance engagements, from acceptance through reporting | Periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, or information reported at a specific date on or after that date |
| IESSA | Ethics and independence requirements for sustainability assurance engagements | The directive states the same 15 December 2026 effective point as ISSA 5000 |
| ISQM 1 | Firm-level system of quality management | Required as applicable for firms providing sustainability assurance |
| ISQM 2 | Engagement quality reviews | Applied where an engagement quality review is required |
Read MSL’s companion explainer on IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 in Ghana for the underlying disclosure standards and Ghana’s reporting adoption roadmap.
Ghana’s mandatory sustainability assurance timetable
ICAG describes a three-phase approach designed to give reporting entities, practitioners, firms and regulators time to build the systems and expertise needed for high-quality assurance. The table below reproduces the roadmap’s dates without extending them beyond what the directive says.
| Entity group | Reporting periods begin | Limited assurance | Reasonable assurance with limited Scope 3 emissions | Reasonable assurance on all disclosures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary adopters (all organisations) | 1 January 2024 | 1 January 2028 | 1 January 2029 to 31 December 2030 | 1 January 2031 |
| Significant Public Interest Entities (SPIEs) | 1 January 2027 | 1 January 2028 | 1 January 2029 to 31 December 2030 | 1 January 2031 |
| Other Mandatory Adopters (OMAs) | 1 January 2028 | 1 January 2029 | 1 January 2030 to 31 December 2031 | 1 January 2032 |
| Government organisations | 1 January 2028 | Review and alignment with IPSASB sustainability standards | 1 January 2029 to 31 December 2030 | 1 January 2031 |
The directive describes limited assurance over sustainability-related disclosures while excluding Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, climate-resilience assessments or scenario analysis, and transition plans during that stage.
Who is an SPIE under this roadmap?
For this directive, Significant Public Interest Entities include entities listed on a recognised exchange in Ghana; non-listed banks and insurance companies, corporate trustees and registered pension schemes; public limited companies; and private companies that are holding companies of public or regulated entities.
The definition also includes upstream oil and gas exploration, development and production companies issued with petroleum agreements; mining exploration and production companies; oil and gas refineries; automobile production companies; cement manufacturing companies; and power generation companies other than those generating power from renewable sources.
Who is an OMA?
Other Mandatory Adopters are the other companies incorporated under the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992), excluding entities classified by the roadmap as SPIEs or government organisations, subject to the roadmap’s stated treatment of specified entities.
The government-organisation row does not provide an ordinary limited-assurance start date. It says “Review and alignment with IPSASB sustainability standards” in that column. Organisations should not replace that wording with an assumed date.
The four-year route for other reporting entities
The roadmap also addresses an entity that is outside the listed categories but chooses, on or after 1 January 2028, to prepare a sustainability report under IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and explicitly references those standards in the sustainability report included in its annual report.
No mandatory assurance is required.
Mandatory limited assurance over sustainability-related disclosures, excluding Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, climate-resilience assessments or scenario analysis, and transition plans.
Mandatory reasonable assurance with limited Scope 3 emissions.
Mandatory reasonable assurance over all sustainability-related disclosures.
The roadmap does not prevent an entity from obtaining voluntary assurance from an ICAG-licensed CSAP through a licensed firm before its mandatory date.
Who can become a Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner?
A CSAP designation shows that the holder has met ICAG’s competence requirements for sustainability assurance. Both audit and non-audit professionals may qualify if they meet ICAG’s criteria. The directive says this profession-agnostic approach aligns with IOSCO guidance and recognises that sustainability assurance often requires expertise from more than one field.
- Professional standing: membership in good standing of ICAG or another professional body recognised by ICAG.
- Recognised certification: a sustainability assurance certification issued by ICAG or recognised by ICAG as meeting its competency requirements.
- Technical knowledge: IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, ISSA 5000, IESSA, ISQM 1, relevant reporting frameworks and regulations, and emerging sustainability reporting and assurance practice.
- Experience and development: practical experience and continuing professional development as prescribed by ICAG.
- Ethics and renewal: compliance with ICAG’s ethical, professional, registration, certification, renewal and good-standing requirements.
ICAG may establish further certification requirements to ensure that practitioners have the required competence, capabilities and professional judgement. Its Quality Assurance Monitoring Department is to oversee compliance by CSAPs and Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firms, including their quality-management systems. ICAG will also maintain and regularly publish a register of practitioners and firms in good standing, with certification and licence numbers where applicable.
What a Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firm must have
A sustainability assurance engagement under the roadmap is not licensed solely through the individual practitioner. The firm must also qualify. At minimum, the directive requires the following:
- The firm is duly registered and authorised to provide professional assurance services in Ghana.
- At least one partner, director or principal holds a valid ICAG-issued or ICAG-recognised CSAP designation and is responsible for the firm’s sustainability assurance engagements.
- The firm establishes, implements and maintains an ISQM 1 system of quality management and performs ISQM 2 engagement quality reviews where applicable.
- The firm has sufficient competence, capabilities and resources, including access to relevant specialists where needed.
- Policies and procedures address IESSA requirements, including integrity, objectivity, competence, due care, confidentiality, professional behaviour and independence.
- Documented methodologies, tools and procedures are maintained in accordance with ISSA 5000 and any guidance issued by ICAG.
- Professional indemnity insurance or another ICAG-prescribed risk-management arrangement is maintained.
- The firm is subject to periodic ICAG quality-assurance inspections and must provide unrestricted access to engagement documentation, quality-management records and other relevant information when requested.
- Personnel involved in sustainability assurance complete the continuing professional development prescribed by ICAG.
The directive recognises that sustainability information may require multidisciplinary evidence. It specifically refers to access to specialists in fields such as climate science, environmental management, engineering, social-impact assessment, governance and information systems.
Where the assurance report goes and how it is signed
ICAG specifies a clear publication sequence. The assurance report issued by a Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firm must appear immediately before the sustainability report to which it relates in the annual report.
The report is signed in the name of the firm. The name of the CSAP who led the engagement and the practitioner’s ICAG-issued CSAP registration number must appear beneath the assurance report. The report must also include its issue date and the firm’s registered address.
The roadmap calls on regulators including the Bank of Ghana, National Insurance Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission to establish mechanisms for checking that annual reports submitted by entities within their mandates comply with applicable sustainability reporting and assurance requirements.
What organisations should do now
These are MSL’s preparation points. They are not additional ICAG requirements.
Determine whether the organisation is a voluntary adopter, SPIE, OMA, government organisation or another entity choosing to report under IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards.
Use the roadmap’s exact date and scope, including the temporary exclusions that apply at the limited-assurance stage.
Document ownership, methodologies, source systems, controls, estimates and review processes for material sustainability information. Give special attention to value-chain data, Scope 3 emissions, scenario analysis and transition plans.
Confirm that the proposed engagement lead and firm appear in ICAG’s current licensing and good-standing records when those records are published.
Leave the required space for the assurance report immediately before the sustainability report. Make room for the practitioner’s name and registration number, the report date and the firm’s registered address.
ICAG may issue further requirements, restrictions or conditions. Check later ICAG notices before making an implementation decision.
Key sustainability assurance terms
- ISSA 5000
- International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements.
- Limited assurance
- An engagement in which the practitioner reduces engagement risk to a level that is acceptable in the circumstances, but greater than in a reasonable assurance engagement.
- Reasonable assurance
- An engagement in which the practitioner reduces engagement risk to an acceptably low level as the basis for the conclusion.
- IESSA
- International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance, including independence requirements for sustainability assurance engagements.
- CSAP
- Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner, ICAG’s designation for a person who meets its requirements and holds a sustainability assurance certification issued or recognised by ICAG.
- Scope 3 emissions
- All indirect greenhouse gas emissions, excluding Scope 2, that occur in the reporting entity’s value chain, including upstream and downstream emissions.
The roadmap in six points
- Ghana now has a dedicated ICAG roadmap for assurance of disclosures prepared under IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards.
- ISSA 5000 and IESSA apply from 15 December 2026 on the basis stated in the directive.
- Mandatory assurance phases begin from 2028 and differ by entity category.
- Voluntary adopters, SPIEs and OMAs move from limited assurance to reasonable assurance. The government-organisation row follows a separate review-and-alignment route before its reasonable-assurance dates.
- Assurance must be led by an ICAG-licensed CSAP operating through a Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firm.
- The assurance report must sit immediately before the sustainability report and include the specified firm and practitioner details.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISSA 5000?
ISSA 5000 is the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance 5000, General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements. It provides a global baseline for assurance over sustainability information and covers the full engagement lifecycle.
When does ISSA 5000 become effective?
Under the ICAG roadmap, it applies to sustainability assurance engagements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, or information reported at a specific date on or after 15 December 2026.
When does mandatory sustainability assurance start in Ghana?
The earliest mandatory assurance date shown in ICAG’s timetable is 1 January 2028 for voluntary adopters and Significant Public Interest Entities. Other Mandatory Adopters move to limited assurance from 1 January 2029. The government-organisation row uses a separate review-and-alignment statement for its initial stage.
Who is allowed to provide sustainability assurance in Ghana?
For sustainability reports prepared in Ghana under IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, the directive requires an ICAG-licensed Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner operating through a Licensed Sustainability Assurance Firm.
Can an organisation obtain assurance before its mandatory date?
Yes. The roadmap expressly permits voluntary assurance before the mandatory implementation dates, provided it is obtained from an ICAG-licensed CSAP through a licensed firm.
Where should the sustainability assurance report appear?
It should appear immediately before the sustainability report to which it relates in the annual report.
Does ISSA 5000 apply only to accountants?
No. ISSA 5000 is profession-agnostic, and ICAG’s certification model allows audit and non-audit professionals to qualify. In Ghana, however, the practitioner and firm must meet ICAG’s competence, ethics, certification and licensing requirements.
Source and status: Based on the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana directive titled International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000 Implementation Road Map, reference DIR/ICAG/SAP/20/08/26, issued by the Council of ICAG and dated 17 August 2026. Checked by MSL on 22 August 2026. This educational explainer does not replace the directive, ISSA 5000, IESSA, later ICAG notices or professional advice. ICAG invites feedback on the roadmap through sustainability@icagh.com.
