BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Development Advisory for Africa | AfriCatalyst - ECPv6.16.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Development Advisory for Africa | AfriCatalyst
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://africatalyst.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Development Advisory for Africa | AfriCatalyst
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Africa/Dakar
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:GMT
DTSTART:20240101T000000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251006
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251009
DTSTAMP:20260516T121740
CREATED:20250904T111159Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251110T100519Z
UID:2433-1759708800-1759967999@africatalyst.com
SUMMARY:Kenya National Workshop on Credit Rating: Building Institutional Capacity and Establishing an Inter-Agency Credit Rating Coordination Committee
DESCRIPTION:Kenya’s graduation to middle-income status\, officially recognized in 2014 when the country rebased its GDP\, reflects its significant economic progress\, with nominal GDP estimated at USD 110 billion in 2024 and a per capita income exceeding USD 2\,100. Yet\, this growth belies persistent vulnerabilities: Kenya’s investment needs to achieve Vision 2030 and the Medium-Term Plan IV (MTP IV)—the final plan under Vision 2030\, running from 2023 to 2027—are estimated at over 25% of GDP annually\, while current domestic savings and fiscal allocations fall short\, leaving an investment financing gap of over 9% of GDP each year (equivalent to about USD 10 billion). \n  \nCompounding these challenges\, Kenya faces diminishing Official Development Assistance (ODA) and declining donor commitments. For instance\, ODA flows have dropped from 4.7% of GNI in 2015 to about 3.2% in 2023\, reflecting global fiscal tightening and shifting donor priorities. As a result\, Kenya must increasingly rely on international and domestic capital markets to finance its development agenda. \n  \nHowever\, Kenya’s sovereign credit ratings—currently B/B2/B+ as assigned by S&P\, Moody’s\, and Fitch\, respectively—have remained stagnant over the past five years\, despite periodic downgrades due to rising debt service costs and fiscal pressures. This constrained rating profile has led to higher borrowing costs: for example\, Kenya’s June 2021 Eurobond was priced at 6.3%—significantly above peer countries like Senegal (5.7%)—with yields driven by a perceived elevated country risk premium and credit spread. Debt service as a share of revenues has grown from 28% in 2018 to over 32% in 2023\, further squeezing fiscal space and threatening to crowd out critical investments in infrastructure\, health\, education\, and climate resilience. \n  \nThese challenges have been central to recent regional and international discussions. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Capacity Building Workshop\, held in Addis Ababa in September 2024\, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Africa Annual Conference on Credit Ratings\, held in Cape Town in April 2025\, highlighted the urgency for African countries\, including Kenya\, to strengthen their technical capacity\, build institutional frameworks for transparent engagement\, and proactively address rating agency concerns. For Kenya\, improving sovereign creditworthiness is no longer a financial technicality—it is a national priority to unlock the low-cost capital needed to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.  \n  \nThe Africa Credit Ratings Initiative is a flagship effort led by UNDP to support African countries in improving their sovereign creditworthiness and accessing development finance on fairer terms. Through a combination of technical assistance\, regional workshops\, research\, and partnerships at regional and global levels\, the initiative aims to strengthen institutional capacity\, promote data transparency\, and address methodological subjectivities that contribute to inflated risk premiums. With support from the Government of Japan\, the initiative works closely with governments\, rating agencies\, and regional bodies to ensure countries are not only better prepared for rating assessments but also empowered to shape the narratives that influence investor perception. 
URL:https://africatalyst.com/event/kenya-national-workshop-on-credit-rating-building-institutional-capacity-and-establishing-an-inter-agency-credit-rating-coordination-committee/
LOCATION:Mombasa\, Kenya\, Mombasa\, Mombasa\, Kenya
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://africatalyst.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1759349271500.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251030
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251101
DTSTAMP:20260516T121740
CREATED:20250911T121752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251110T100413Z
UID:2465-1761782400-1761955199@africatalyst.com
SUMMARY:G20 Conference in West Africa: Empowering Africa’s Voice Within the G20
DESCRIPTION:2025 has been an important year for development\, especially for Africa. South Africa’s G20 presidency\, culminating soon\, has presented an opportunity to shape global discussions and advance a Global South development agenda\, building on the efforts of the previous three G20 presidencies from the Global South. It has strategically placed African development priorities squarely on the global agenda. With the African Union now a permanent member of the G20\, Africa’s collective voice is stronger than ever. This presents a critical opportunity for the continent to influence global decisions in support of Africa’s development priorities. To achieve meaningful and impactful engagement that goes beyond South Africa’s presidency\, stronger coordination\, strategic agenda-setting\, and enhanced capacity among African stakeholders are essential for effective participation in G20 process. With the South Africa G20 deliberations nearing completion\, it is crucial to keep African stakeholders informed\, integrate their perspectives into discussions\, and ensure their priorities are reflected in global policy outcomes.  \nSouth Africa’s G20 presidency has also unfolded alongside other critical global processes\, including the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville\, which has recently concluded\, and ongoing preparations for COP30 in Belém\, both of which have reinforced the urgent need for innovative and equitable financing solutions. This convergence of high-level engagements marks a pivotal moment in which Africa’s collective voice is more powerfully positioned than ever to shape global economic decisions that will influence the continent’s development path for years to come. \nAgainst this background\, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)\, AfriCatalyst\, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD)\, and the United Nations Development Programme organized a two-day conference for key stakeholders in West Africa to engage and discuss Africa’s priorities at the G20 and assess their resonance and integration with the broader global development agenda. The targeted stakeholders for this conference include think tanks\, policymakers (government and the diplomatic community)\, multilateral banks\, and the media \n  \nDAY 1 \n \n  \nDAY 2
URL:https://africatalyst.com/event/g20-conference-in-west-africa-empowering-africas-voice-within-the-g20/
LOCATION:Noom Hotel\, Dakar Senegal\, Dakar\, Senegal
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://africatalyst.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/g20-even-std.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR