Aminata Traore is an author, community leader and manager of cultural events and enterprises. She is also a doctor of social psychology.

As an international consultant, her work has focused on social development and the social cost of globalisation, women´s issues, environment and the role of culture as the basis for human reconstruction when access to essential goods is problematic. From 1988 to 1992, Dr Traore was the Regional director for the UNDP PROWEVESS Programme (Promotion of the Role of Women in Water, Environmental and Sanitation Services).

She recently published a book L'Etau—L'Afrique dans un monde sans frontière dealing with the debt issue, African decision-making capacity, and the singularity of African culture.