UN agency, firm to host credit rating forum in Nairobi

Business
By James Wanzala | May 23, 2024
Credit ratings have become an important part of Africa's development financing landscape. [iStockphoto]

The United Nations Development Programme Africa (UNDP Africa) will next week host a high-level panel discussion on credit rating in partnership with Africatalyst.

Themed developing credit rating solutions for Africa's financial needs, the event will feature in-person sessions and virtual participation on the sidelines of the 59th annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Nairobi.

Panellists will explore the challenges associated with financing development in Africa, shedding light on the regulatory framework governing credit rating agencies while exploring alternative innovative solutions to empower governments to access critical financing.

Participants will include experts from government, academia, research, finance, private sector, civil society and development partners.

"Credit ratings have become an important part of Africa's development financing landscape. However, we're finding that the costs of those Eurobonds are usually really high and are linked to how African countries are rated," said Chief Economist and Head of Strategy, Analysis and Research at UNDP Africa Raymond Gilpin.

"Our high-level panel on May 28, 2024, will interrogate some of the issues relating to credit ratings their costs and practical things that African countries must do to lower the costs of borrowing."

The event will seek to evaluate the impact of credit ratings on investment decisions and access to international capital markets by African countries, examine the regulatory environment governing credit rating agencies and propose measures to mitigate negative effects.

Share this story
Poor pay, double taxation and falling incomes mask Kenya's growth
Workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, which contributes the lion’s share to the country’s GDP are struggling to afford the same food items they produce and process.  
Agro-based firms decline weighs on industrial growth
The slow growth recorded in agriculture in 2025 crept into the manufacturing sector, whose gross value added grew by two per cent in the period compared to three per cent in 2024. 
Nairobi tops African peers in attracting big startup capital
Nairobi has become Africa’s leading hub for startup funding, attracting nearly $1 billion in 2025, though concerns remain about regulatory issues.
Tech envoy: Kenya taking the lead in adoption of digital tools
Kenya has made huge strides in the digital revolution, as evidenced by the use of multiple social media platforms, fintech, edutech, medtech and the country’s flagship mobile money platform M-Pesa. 
Amsons Group pledges Sh4.5b for hospitals
Amsons Group has committed Sh4.5 billion to build 10 mother-and-child hospitals in Kenya over the next three years.
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS