The two day forum provided a medium for farmers, agro-business persons, small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), financial experts, NGOs, policy makers, government agencies, and international organizations to exchange business ideas and  share best practices. POTICO III focused on “Harnessing Innovative Technologies to Develop Infrastructure for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security”.

Speakers at the forum were, the US Ambassador, Robin Renee Sanders; BOI MD, Ms. Evelyn Oputu; Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Mr. Steven Olabisi Onasanya, MD First Bank of Nigeria; Mr. Mike Espy, the former Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture; Mr. Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu of the Smallholders Foundation and Dr. Darius Mans, President of Africare. U.S. Agencies had their Representatives at the forum to include Mr. Ali Abdi, US Attache on Agriculture, Mr. Jason Villar , the Acting Director of the Economic Growth and Environment Office at USAID/Nigeria and a host of other experts

During the plenary session that centered on “Agricultural Sustainability and Africa’s Technological Transformation” and “Fostering Agricultural Innovations”, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Mallam Lamido Sanusi urged banks to embrace Independent power partnerships (IPP) as part of the strategies to tackle the current power crisis in the nation which is one of the basic infrastructure needed to boost agricultural production, processing and storage in Nigeria.

Over two hundred and fifty participants were in attendance and the participants had the opportunity of a one on one consultation with representatives of the Bank of Industry and US Government Agencies such as USAID, USTDA, USCS and FAS and talks centered on power solutions for agricultural processing, connecting with U.S suppliers of agricultural equipments and technology, commodity protection and management and a host of other topics.

The founding partners, the United States Mission to Nigeria, the Bank of Industry in Nigeria, and First Bank of Nigeria Plc were actively involved as in other years in putting resources together towards the overall success of the forum. Rimsom Associates continued in its traditional role of anchoring and facilitating the meeting.