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Nigeria’s Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, is set to deliver the keynote address at DataPro Limited’s sixth International Rating Webinar, where policymakers and financial experts will examine the reforms required to strengthen sovereign credit profiles across Africa.
The virtual event, scheduled for October 8, 2026, is themed “Sovereign Credit Rating: Africa’s Roadmap to Investment-Grade Status.” Uzoka-Anite will speak on “Achieving Investment Grade Rating by 2030: The Roadmap for Nigeria,” with discussions expected to cover fiscal management, economic planning, institutional reforms, investment mobilisation and macroeconomic resilience. DataPro has confirmed Uzoka-Anite as the keynote speaker, while Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning continues to identify her as Minister of State.
Focus on sovereign creditworthiness
The webinar will examine the economic and institutional factors that influence sovereign credit ratings and access to international capital.
Key areas of discussion will include fiscal discipline, revenue mobilisation, debt sustainability, economic diversification, policy credibility and institutional effectiveness. Participants will also consider rating methodologies, factors that can influence upgrades or downgrades, and the relationship between sovereign creditworthiness and investor confidence.
DataPro said the forum is intended to deepen understanding of the structural conditions required for African economies, particularly Nigeria, to strengthen and sustain their credit profiles.
The company said investment-grade status requires more than improvements in individual economic indicators, pointing instead to sustained adherence to quantitative and qualitative economic disciplines.
“The journey toward full investment-grade status requires deliberate adherence to qualitative and quantitative economic disciplines capable of strengthening investor confidence and enhancing sovereign credibility in the international financial market,” DataPro stated.
Nigeria’s investment-grade ambitions
Uzoka-Anite’s keynote will focus specifically on Nigeria’s pathway towards an investment-grade rating by 2030.
DataPro’s current webinar programme identifies fiscal discipline and public finance reforms, debt sustainability and borrowing strategy, foreign exchange stability and external resilience, governance and policy credibility, financial-system stability, infrastructure and human capital development among the issues to be examined.
The discussion comes as Nigeria continues to pursue its broader economic development and investment objectives. The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has said the government is targeting a $1 trillion economy by 2030, with economic planning and reforms forming part of that agenda.
For sovereign issuers, credit ratings can influence how international investors and lenders assess credit risk, while changes in perceived sovereign risk can affect access to international capital and borrowing conditions.
African credit rating debate gains attention
The forum also comes amid wider discussions about the development of Africa’s credit-rating architecture and the proposed African Credit Rating Agency.
The debate has focused on how African economies are assessed by international rating institutions and whether stronger regional capacity could provide additional perspectives on sovereign and corporate creditworthiness.
Against this backdrop, DataPro said sound fiscal policies, sustainable debt management and predictable governance are important components of sovereign credibility and the mobilisation of capital for infrastructure, productive capacity and private-sector development.
The company’s own rating methodology recognises both quantitative and qualitative factors when assessing an obligor’s ability to meet its financial obligations. DataPro is registered and regulated as a credit rating agency by Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission.
Global experts to join panel
The webinar will feature contributions from experts drawn from academia, public finance, credit-rating research and African financial institutions.
The panel will be moderated by DataPro’s Chief Rating Officer, Prince Oladele Adeoye, and will include Prof. Torsten Schmidt of RWI-Essen, Dr Daniel Cash of the Credit Rating Research Initiative, Mrs Oluwakemi Babalogbon of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, Prof. Kai Gehring of the University of Bern and Dr Misheck Mutize of the African Peer Review Mechanism.
DataPro’s September webinar materials describe the panel as bringing together perspectives spanning sovereign risk, debt sustainability, public finance, institutional governance, political economy and the credit-rating industry.
Goodwill messages are also expected from Securities and Exchange Commission Director-General Dr Emomotimi Agama and National Bureau of Statistics Statistician-General Prince Adeyemi Adeniran.
DataPro highlights role of credit ratings
DataPro Founder and Managing Director Abimbola Adeseyoju said the annual webinar is designed to improve stakeholder understanding of credit-rating agencies and their role during periods of changing global and domestic economic conditions.
“Credit ratings remain an important component of the financial system, providing independent assessments that support informed investment and financing decisions by investors, lenders, and other market participants,” Adeseyoju said.
The October forum will therefore place sovereign creditworthiness within a broader discussion about fiscal management, institutional capacity, economic resilience and access to capital, as African economies seek to strengthen their financial systems and attract longer-term investment.
DataPro has scheduled the sixth International Rating Webinar for October 8, 2026, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm WAT, with participation available online.
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