About
An independent voice on global affairs and strategic opportunity.
MD Strategies is an independent international affairs platform and emerging advisory practice founded by Mamadou Doumbia. It publishes original analysis on commercial diplomacy, regional integration, and the forces shaping cross-border partnerships — and is building toward a boutique advisory practice grounded in that research.
Mission
To make complex international developments understandable and actionable — connecting rigorous analysis with the practical needs of institutions, organizations, and businesses working across borders.
Vision
To become a trusted, independent source of insight on commercial diplomacy and international partnership, with particular depth on West Africa and its relationships with global markets.
The thinking behind MD Strategies
Much international analysis is written either for specialists or for headlines. Decision-makers in between — program leaders, business development teams, foundation officers, and policy staff — often need something else: a clear account of what is happening, why it matters, and what it might mean for their work.
MD Strategies was founded to occupy that space. Its starting premise is that strong analysis combines academic grounding with an understanding of how partnerships, negotiations, and institutions actually work on the ground.
The platform begins with published insight. Advisory work will grow from that foundation, at a pace that keeps quality and independence first.
Mamadou Doumbia
Founder, MD Strategies
Languages
- French (native)
- Bambara / Dyula (native)
- English (fluent)
- Italian (fluent)
- Dutch / Flemish (conversational)
- German (conversational)
Founder
Mamadou Doumbia
Mamadou Doumbia is an international affairs professional whose career has moved between international business, public diplomacy, policy research, and community-level service delivery.
For eight years, based in Rome, Mamadou worked in new business development for Orofino Pharmaceutical Group, an Italian pharmaceutical manufacturer. That role involved helping open new markets in the UAE, Syria, Iraq, and Tunisia, and developing partnerships with health ministries, nonprofit organizations, and private companies across eleven countries for the supply and contract production of antibiotics and essential medicines. Mamadou also supported senior leadership in negotiations — conducting due diligence on prospective partners, preparing documents and presentations, and interpreting between French, Italian, and English — and led needs assessments for more than 25 in-kind humanitarian donations to Togo and the Republic of Congo.
In New York, Mamadou completed a Master of International Affairs and gained experience on the policy side of international engagement: researching members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and writing policy memos to support federal foreign-policy advocacy; writing research briefs for a public diplomacy foundation; and facilitating one-on-one cross-cultural dialogues with participants from Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Most recently, as a client care coordinator for a New York nonprofit, Mamadou served as the day-to-day liaison among clients, providers, and government agencies — experience in navigating complex systems on behalf of the people they are meant to serve.
MD Strategies brings these threads together: the commercial instincts of market development, the discipline of policy research, and a multicultural perspective shaped across Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Education
Master of International Affairs (MIA), with Honors
2023Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College, CUNY
Concentration in International Non-Governmental Organizations. Capstone: “Irregular Cross-Mediterranean Migration: Analysis of the Pillars of the 2015 Joint Valletta Action Plan on Irregular Migration from North Africa.”
B.A., Political Science, with Departmental Honors
[Year]Hunter College, CUNY
Minor in International Relations. Senior thesis: “Economic Relations between China and Africa: Opportunities and Challenges for the Continent.”
Member, Pi Alpha Alpha (Public Affairs & Administration), Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science), and Nu Lambda Mu (Nonprofit Management) honor societies; member, Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM).
Professional certificates
- Humanitarian Response — HarvardX
- Project Management for Development — IDB / PMI Educational Foundation
- Risk Management in Development Projects — IDB / PMI Educational Foundation
- Project Management Foundation — PMI
- ESG — PMI
- Corporate Finance — NASBA
Experience & transferable expertise
Professional experience spans international business development, government relations research, public diplomacy, cross-cultural programs, and complex service coordination.
- International partnership & market development
- Market entry support, partner due diligence, needs assessment, and negotiation support across eleven countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia; representation at international exhibitions, including CPHI China.
- Policy & legislative research
- Detailed profiles of U.S. House members, tracking of foreign-policy positions (including the Korean Peninsula, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East), and policy memos for senior leadership.
- Public diplomacy & strategic communications
- Research briefs on public diplomacy options, writing on climate and youth initiatives in Latin America, fundraising and sponsorship materials, and partner communications.
- Stakeholder coordination & program delivery
- Liaison among clients, providers, government agencies, and nonprofit partners; event and logistics coordination; training and onboarding of cross-cultural dialogue facilitators.
Core principles
Independence
Analysis follows evidence, not sponsorship or a predetermined conclusion.
Rigour
Claims are sourced, uncertainty is stated, and opinion is labelled as opinion.
Context
Developments are read from more than one capital and in more than one language.
Usefulness
Every piece should help someone understand a situation or make a better decision.
Integrity
No overstated credentials, clients, or results — now or as the practice grows.
Interested in collaborating?
MD Strategies welcomes conversations about research collaborations, commentary, professional partnerships, and exploratory advisory work.