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Technology-driven credit rating agency, DataPro Limited, is bringing together policymakers, economists, academics and industry practitioners to examine how Nigeria and other African economies can achieve and sustain investment-grade sovereign credit status.
The discussion will take place at the sixth edition of DataPro’s International Rating Webinar, scheduled to hold virtually on October 8, 2026, from 2pm to 4pm.
According to a statement signed by DataPro’s Client Services Manager, Kehinde Rasheed, this year’s webinar will be themed “Sovereign Credit Rating: Africa’s Roadmap to Investment-Grade Status.”
Uzoka-Anite to deliver keynote address
The keynote speaker for the event is the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, an economist and public policy professional with experience spanning economic management, investment, trade and fiscal policy.
Uzoka-Anite previously served as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment before becoming Minister of State for Finance, where she participated in areas of Nigeria’s economic reform and investment agenda.
She was redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in March 2026 and currently serves as Minister of State.
DataPro said her experience places her in a position to provide insights into the structural, institutional and policy factors that influence economic performance, fiscal sustainability and investor confidence.
As a policymaker within Nigeria’s economic management framework, she is expected to discuss the reforms required to strengthen sovereign credit profiles across African economies.
Her presentation will focus on economic planning, fiscal management, sustainable development, public-sector reforms, investment mobilisation and policy measures that can strengthen economic resilience and investor confidence.
Credit ratings and access to capital
Speaking ahead of the webinar, DataPro Founder and Managing Director, Abimbola Adeseyoju, said the annual event provides an opportunity to deepen understanding of the role of credit rating institutions, particularly during challenging 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 2026 webinar will examine the economic, fiscal and institutional conditions that influence sovereign creditworthiness, with particular attention to Nigeria and its ambition to achieve and sustain investment-grade status.
Discussions will cover fiscal discipline, revenue mobilisation, debt sustainability, macroeconomic stability, economic diversification, policy credibility and institutional effectiveness.
Participants will also examine how sovereign ratings are determined, the factors that can contribute to upgrades or downgrades, and the relationship between economic fundamentals, government policy and investor confidence.
The programme will address common misconceptions surrounding sovereign ratings while considering their wider role in supporting confidence in financial markets.
Sovereign ratings and Nigeria’s $1tn ambition
The webinar will also explore how a stronger sovereign credit profile could complement Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
According to DataPro, stronger institutions, sound fiscal management, sustainable debt levels, policy consistency and economic growth can contribute to a more stable investment environment.
Such conditions can support efforts to attract capital for infrastructure development, productive capacity, private-sector expansion and economic diversification.
The discussion will therefore examine sovereign credit ratings not only as assessments of a country’s creditworthiness, but also within the broader context of economic policy, institutional performance and access to capital.
Experts to join international rating discussion
Other panelists expected at the webinar include Dr Torsten Schmidt, Head of Macroeconomics and Public Finance Research at RWI-Essen; Dr Daniel Cash, Founder of the Credit Rating Research Initiative; Mrs Oluwakemi Babalogbon, Executive Director, Risk Management at the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI); Dr Kai Gehring, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bern; and Dr Misheck Mutize, Lead Expert, Credit Rating Agencies at the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
The panel discussion will be moderated by DataPro’s Chief Rating Officer, Prince Oladele Adeoye.
Goodwill messages are expected from the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr Emomotimi Agama; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; and the Statistician-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran.
DataPro seeks stronger credit rating awareness
The Annual International Rating Webinar forms part of DataPro’s broader efforts to promote greater awareness and understanding of the credit rating industry in Nigeria and across Africa.
Through the initiative, the rating agency seeks to encourage collaboration, knowledge exchange and cooperation among credit rating institutions, policymakers, investors and other stakeholders across the continent.
The 2026 edition is expected to provide a platform for examining the reforms, economic fundamentals and institutional conditions required for African economies to strengthen their sovereign credit profiles and improve their position in international capital markets.
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