Port Louis opened its doors on 5 October 2026 to a two-day working session built around one practical question: can Africa’s financial infrastructure actually channel African capital toward African development? The 2nd Africa Annual Conference on Credit Ratings, running through 6 October, is convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) together with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), AfriCatalyst and other partners, under the theme “Towards Developing African Capital Markets: Rechanneling Africa’s Capital.”
The agenda is broad but consistent in focus. Sessions will examine how credit ratings shape investment decisions, influence the cost of capital and support the development of African financial markets. Participants are expected to work through measures intended to strengthen domestic capital markets in concrete terms: improving market liquidity, broadening the range of investment instruments, enhancing market infrastructure and expanding access to local-currency financing. The role of regional financial institutions, along with the policy and regulatory frameworks needed to mobilize domestic capital for productive investment, also features on the program.
A significant portion of the deliberations concerns the technical systems underlying the market itself. Discussions will explore how understanding of sovereign and corporate credit ratings can be strengthened, how transparency in risk assessment can be improved, and what conditions would support greater investment and economic development across the continent.
Technology occupies a distinct slot. Participants will assess the application of artificial intelligence, data and financial technology solutions in credit ratings and capital market development, weighing both the opportunities these innovations present and the challenges they pose for Africa’s financial systems.
Meanwhile, the conference looks outward for comparative practice. Deliberations will address international experiences in reserve management and approaches to expanding access to long-term development finance, with an emphasis on strengthening collaboration among governments, regulators, investors, development finance institutions and credit rating agencies.
The roster of speakers and panelists reflects the implementing side of the financial system. Senior representatives of the Government of Mauritius and the Bank of Mauritius are joined by officials from ECA, APRM, the African Union and UNDP, alongside African and international credit rating agencies, development finance institutions, regional financial institutions, investors and other African and international organizations.
Organizers position the conference as a contribution to policy dialogue on capital market development, domestic resource mobilization and innovative financing approaches. The stated aim is to strengthen collaboration among key financial market stakeholders in support of Africa’s development priorities, with the underlying premise that better-functioning rating systems and deeper domestic markets can reduce reliance on external financing and support sustainable development.
For observers tracking whether financial infrastructure on the continent delivers in practice, the two days in Port Louis offer a snapshot of where the gaps lie: in transparency of risk assessment, in the depth and liquidity of local markets, and in the availability of long-term, local-currency finance. Whether the dialogue translates into operational improvements remains the measure against which such convenings are ultimately judged.
The conference is issued by the Communications Section of the Economic Commission for Africa, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.