WSCSE-2026

Thompson Ogunsanmi is a development practitioner and Scaling Specialist with over 20 years of experience advancing agricultural innovations, value chain development, and multi-stakeholder partnerships across Africa. He currently serves with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), where he leads the scaling of AKILIMO and related initiatives in Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania. Thompson’s expertise lies in partnership management, innovation diffusion, and inclusive agribusiness development. Over his career, he has successfully established and managed partnerships with more than 300 organizations, including private companies, NGOs, government agencies, and farmer associations. His leadership has facilitated the uptake of AKILIMO by over 500,000 farmers directly and 1.8 million cumulatively. By embedding advisory tools into business models, he has helped organizations link agronomic advice with input supply, financial services, and market access, ensuring real value for smallholder farmers. Before joining IITA, Thompson was Country Team Lead for the 2SCALE project at the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), where he managed agribusiness clusters with multinationals, strengthened over 200 SMEs, and improved market opportunities for thousands of farmers. His earlier roles with GIZ, Cadbury, and Olam broadened his expertise in value chain development, public–private partnerships, and sustainable farming systems. Thompson holds a PhD in Agricultural Management and two MBAs in Entrepreneurship and Food Security. A fellow of the Institute of Agribusiness Management Nigeria, he is also active in several international working groups. Passionate about inclusive, gender-responsive, and sustainable approaches, he continues to co-create solutions that empower smallholder farmers and strengthen agricultural systems across Africa