Nigeria’s credit rating agency, DataPro Limited, has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of The Gambia to offer credit rating services in the country, extending its footprint in the region.
The development was disclosed in the Monthly Rating Brief for November 2026, which the company released on Monday.
It introduces DataPro’s credit assessment expertise to a market looking to widen financing options and strengthen its financial infrastructure.
According to the brief, access to finance depends not only on the availability of funds but also on how well lenders and investors can assess the risks involved.
Independent credit ratings give a structured view of an entity’s ability to meet its financial obligations, helping market participants judge creditworthiness and make better informed decisions.
DataPro said the services could be useful to licensed commercial banks reviewing their credit exposures.
They could also serve businesses, including Gambian-owned telecommunications companies, that want to present their credit profiles to prospective lenders and investors.
The company noted that ratings can complement existing financial information and internal assessments, but they do not guarantee funding or remove credit risk.
It added that as the country’s capital market develops, the uptake of credit ratings will depend on the needs of issuers, the expectations of investors and the degree to which financial institutions factor independent assessments into their decisions.
The brief also looked at the banking sector, which it said offers an important view of the wider credit environment.
Asset quality, capital adequacy, liquidity and profitability point to the resilience of financial institutions, while macroeconomic conditions can affect borrowers’ ability to repay and the quality of banks’ assets.
To examine these issues, DataPro plans to publish its Gambia Banking Risk Outlook 2027 in the first quarter of 2027.
The report will assess key risks and developments in the sector, offering insight into the factors shaping the financial position of banks and the wider operating environment.
DataPro said its entry comes as the growth of The Gambia’s financial market makes the quality and availability of credit information increasingly relevant.
Independent ratings, it said, can help by providing a consistent framework for assessing credit risk across businesses and financial institutions.
The company stated that the opportunity goes beyond launching a new service. As financing needs change, it said, the real value of credit ratings will lie in how well they inform lending decisions, support risk evaluation and help market participants understand the credit profiles of those they deal with.
