Policymakers, regulators and financial experts from Africa and Europe will converge virtually on October 8, 2026 for DataPro Limited’s sixth International Credit Rating Webinar, themed “Sovereign Credit Rating: Africa’s Roadmap to Investment Grade Status.”
The virtual event is expected to attract participants from across the public and private sectors, including development finance institutions, corporate executives, financial market operators and researchers.
The gathering comes shortly after Nigeria’s sovereign credit rating was upgraded from B minus to B by major international agencies, a move analysts widely see as a positive signal to global investors and a sign of growing confidence in the country’s economic reforms.
DataPro has nonetheless cautioned that achieving full investment grade status will demand sustained discipline rather than short term gains, noting that African nations must maintain consistent economic policies to keep investor confidence intact.
Panelists lined up for the webinar include Torsten Schmidt, Head of Macroeconomics and Public Finance Research at RWI Essen; Daniel Cash, Founder of the Credit Rating Research Initiative; Oluwakemi Babalogbon, Executive Director, Risk Management at Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI); Kai Gehring, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bern; and Misheck Mutize, Lead Expert on Credit Rating Agencies at the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
A keynote address titled “Achieving Investment Grade Rating by 2030: The Roadmap for Nigeria” is expected to set out practical steps for strengthening fiscal discipline, improving debt management and building institutional credibility.
Sessions will also explore what sets investment grade sovereigns apart, the reforms needed to attain higher ratings, and lessons drawn from countries that have successfully raised their credit standing.
Oladele Adeoye, Chief Rating Officer of DataPro, will moderate the webinar.
DataPro said the chosen theme reflects the growing weight sovereign credit ratings now carry in shaping investor confidence, determining access to international debt markets and supporting long term economic development across the continent.
The agency added that conversations at the event would go beyond ratings alone to cover fiscal management, capital market development and long term investment planning across African economies.
DataPro is licensed and regulated as a Credit Rating Agency in Nigeria by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The firm has run the annual webinar series for several years, using it to deepen public understanding of credit rating institutions and to foster cooperation among rating agencies across Africa.
