Nigeria’s Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, is expected to provide insights into the policy, institutional and economic reforms required to strengthen sovereign credit profiles across Africa at the sovereign credit rating event slated for October 8.

Her speech will be focused on economic planning, fiscal management, sustainable development, public-sector reforms, investment mobilisation and the policy measures required to enhance economic resilience and investor confidence.

DataPro Limited, the event organiser, said with experience spanning public policy, economic management, investment, trade and fiscal matters, Uzoka-Anite brings a broad perspective on the structural and policy factors that influence economic performance, fiscal sustainability and investor confidence,”

“In her current role, she is closely associated with the implementation of budget and economic planning initiatives, including programmes aimed at strengthening economic outcomes and addressing implementation bottlenecks across subnational governments,” the statement reads.

DataPro said the webinar, billed to be streamed on LinkedIn and YouTube, will also feature goodwill messages from the director general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr Emomotimi Agama, and the Statistician General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran.

The virtual event, themed ‘Sovereign Credit Rating: Africa’s Roadmap to Investment-Grade Status’, comes at time African leaders are mooting the launch of the African Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) on October 7 in Mauritius.

The African Rater is expected to challenge what the African Union has described as skewed risk perceptions that have forced countries on the continent to pay an unfair risk premium on global capital.

DataPro said the 2026 international rating webinar will examine what it takes for African economies, particularly Nigeria, to achieve and sustain investment-grade sovereign credit status.

DataPro said the discussions will focus on the economic, fiscal and institutional factors that influence sovereign creditworthiness, including fiscal discipline, revenue mobilisation, debt sustainability, macroeconomic stability, economic diversification, policy credibility and institutional effectiveness.

According to DataPro, the discussion will also consider how a stronger sovereign credit profile can complement Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

“Participants will gain insights into how sovereign ratings are determined, what drives upgrades and downgrades, and how economic policies and fundamentals influence investor confidence and access to capital. The Webinar will also address common misconceptions about sovereign ratings and highlight their broader role in strengthening financial market confidence,” the statement noted.

The company said stronger institutions, fiscal management, debt sustainability, policy consistency and economic growth can help create the stable investment environment required to attract the capital needed for infrastructure, productive capacity, private-sector expansion and diversification.

Speaking about the webinar, DataPro’s Founder and Managing Director, Abimbola Adeseyoju, said the yearly event provides an important platform for deepening understanding of the role and value of credit rating institutions, particularly in challenging economic environments.

He said 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.

Other speakers expected to attend are Head, Macroeconomics & Public Finance Research, RWI-Essen, Torsten Schmidt; founder of Credit Rating Research Initiative, Daniel Cash; Executive Director, Risk Management at the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Nigeria, Oluwakemi Babalogbon; Professor Of Political Economy at the University of Bern, Kai Gehring; Lead Expert For Credit Rating Agencies at the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Misheck Mutize and Chief Rating Officer of DataPro Limited, Prince Oladele Adeoye, who will serve as the moderator of the panel discussions.