BY NGOZI ONYEAKUSI

Founder of DataPro Limited, Abimbola Adeseyoju, has urged African governments to strengthen fiscal discipline, deepen capital markets and promote transparent credit rating methodologies to attract long-term investments and achieve investment-grade credit status.

Adeseyoju made the call on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the sixth DataPro International Credit Rating Webinar, themed “Credit Rating as a Catalyst for Economic Transformation.”

He described sovereign credit ratings as critical tools for economic transformation, influencing investment flows, borrowing costs and governments’ capacity to finance infrastructure, industrialisation and sustainable development.

According to him, African countries must strengthen their economic structures and policy frameworks to attract long-term capital and build resilient economies capable of withstanding external shocks.

“Credit rating is no longer a passive measure of risk; it is now a catalyst for economic transformation,” he said.

Adeseyoju outlined three priorities for African countries seeking to attain and sustain investment-grade ratings: structural reforms and fiscal sustainability, deeper and more transparent capital markets, and credit rating methodologies that reflect Africa’s economic realities and growth potential.

He urged governments to embrace fiscal discipline, strengthen institutions and improve the availability and reliability of economic data to build investor confidence.

The DataPro founder also emphasised the need to develop domestic capital markets and improve risk transparency, noting that stronger market infrastructure would help connect investors with businesses seeking funding.

On credit rating methodologies, he called for assessment frameworks that balance risk evaluation with the growth opportunities offered by emerging African economies.

He maintained that Africa’s ambition to attain investment-grade credit status was achievable through consistent policy implementation, sound financial market infrastructure and stronger cross-border collaboration.

Reaffirming DataPro’s commitment to financial market development, Adeseyoju said the company would continue to provide transparent, credible and actionable market intelligence to support investment decisions.

The webinar featured the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, as keynote speaker. Other speakers included the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr Emomotimi Agama, and the Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran.

The event attracted capital market operators, development finance institutions, corporate leaders, finance professionals, diplomats and other stakeholders to discuss how credit ratings could drive economic transformation across Africa.