Yemisi Izuora
With DataPro’s 6th International Rating Webinar just days away, the focus shifts from why investment-grade status matters to what it actually takes to get there and sustain it.
The discussion has become particularly relevant following Nigeria’s recent sovereign rating upgrade from B- to B. While the upgrade represents an improvement in the country’s credit profile, B remains below investment grade. The bigger question is what needs to change for Nigeria and other African economies to move further up the rating scale and sustain that progress.
This is the central conversation for the International Rating Webinar, holding on Thursday, October 8, 2026, under the theme “Sovereign Credit Rating: Africa’s Roadmap to Investment-Grade Status.” The virtual event will hold from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. WAT.
Building Investor Confidence
For emerging and frontier markets, stronger sovereign credit profiles can play an important role in how international investors assess risk. The webinar will therefore explore strategies for strengthening investor confidence and enhancing sovereign credibility in international financial markets.
The discussion will extend beyond Nigeria, considering the broader challenges facing African economies seeking to improve their credit standing. What can countries do to strengthen their economic fundamentals? Which reforms are most relevant to investment-grade aspirations? And how can improvements be sustained?
Lessons Beyond Africa
There is no single path to investment grade. Countries have strengthened their sovereign credit profiles through different combinations of fiscal management, economic diversification, institutional development and financial resilience.
The webinar will examine international experiences and explore how lessons from other economies can be applied within emerging markets, particularly African economies.
The Roadmap for Nigeria
The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, CFA, Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, on “Achieving Investment-Grade Rating by 2030: The Roadmap for Nigeria.”
Her participation brings a direct policy perspective to the discussion, given the Ministry’s role in Nigeria’s economic planning and development agenda. The keynote will contribute to the broader conversation on the reforms, economic governance and policy priorities required to strengthen Nigeria’s sovereign credit profile.
The webinar will bring together policymakers, development institutions, financial market operators, investors and corporate stakeholders for a high-level discussion on sovereign credit ratings, reform priorities, investor confidence and the road towards investment-grade status.
October 8: The Conversation
From understanding sovereign credit ratings and examining Nigeria’s recent upgrade to identifying reform priorities, strengthening investor confidence and learning from international experience, the webinar is designed to explore what it will take for Nigeria and other African economies to achieve investment-grade status.