Benin’s sovereign rating upgraded from A+ to AA- by Bloomfield

The rating committee of Bloomfield Investment Corporation has decided to upgrade the long-term sovereign rating of the Beninese state from A+ to AA-, following its annual reassessment process. The country remains classified in the investment category, the level reserved for borrowers deemed reliable by the agency based in Abidjan.

This revision is part of an upward trajectory that began several years ago. Bloomfield assigned a grade of A- to Benin in 2020, before raising it to A in October 2021 and then to A+ in the following years. The country has now reached a new level, getting closer to the select group of the highest-rated African sovereign signatures by the agency.

Founded by Ivorian entrepreneur Stanislas Zézé, Bloomfield Investment Corporation is the leading African-based credit rating agency, active for over fifteen years in assessing sovereign risks and financial institutions on the continent, particularly in the UEMOA region and Central Africa.

The increase comes a few months after Romuald Wadagni took office as President of the Republic on May 24, 2026. A former Minister of State in charge of Economy and Finance from 2016 to 2026, Wadagni oversaw several international bond issuance operations for Benin, including a dollar eurobond that raised 750 million dollars and a euro issuance of 1 billion euros with a maturity of over thirty years, a first for a sub-Saharan African country at the time. He has also been repeatedly recognized as the best Finance Minister in Africa by Financial Afrik magazine.