Mariama Wurie is an international development strategist who has spent over a decade promoting gender equality, reforming education systems, and empowering youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. She holds a Master’s in Education from Harvard University (specializing in Instructional Design, Innovation, and Technology, summa cum laude), a Master’s from the University of the Arts London, and a Bachelor’s from McGill University in International Development and Political Science.sults-oriented partnerships that drive sustainable systems change. She has designed and managed projects with the World Bank, UNGEI, and ECPAT International, among others. To date, she has reached over three million learners—including girls, youth, and people with disabilities—from marginalized communities across Africa, and has influenced eight African national education policies.

She has developed and managed multi-million dollar projects, including a $66 million free education initiative and a $22 million World Bank capacity-building project in Sierra Leone. Another flagship project is the "Gender at the Center" (GCI) initiative by the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), which spanned eight African countries. Her work consistently seeks to ensure quality, equity, accountability, and the design of inclusive policies.

At Bantare, Mariama is responsible for Strategy and Partnerships. She leads institutional strategy, business development, and high-level partnerships to strengthen Bantare’s growth and positioning. On a daily basis, she develops and oversees the organization’s strategic roadmap, performance, and forecasting reports, ensuring alignment with the mission and measurable results.

She also drives resource mobilization through donor intelligence, service proposal design, and pipeline management, securing strategic collaborations in line with the expansion of Bantare’s portfolio in Sub-Saharan Africa and globally. Furthermore, she represents the organization in policy dialogues and sector platforms, cultivates long-term relationships with donors and governments, and provides technical advice on proposal quality, budgeting, and strategic communication to bolster the institution’s impact and credibility.