M’Balou Camara

Associate in Research

(301) 256-7940

mbalou.camara@duke.edu

M’Balou Camara is an artist, researcher, and a Junior Consultant for the African Development Bank’s Agriculture Research, Production, and Sustainability Division. From 2020 to 2021, she was an Associate in Research for the Cook Center’s project which analyzed the economic and social impact of COVID-19 on black business owners in Durham, NC. Her current project, titled “The Paradox of Creative Wealth: African Descendant Perspectives”, explores the challenges and opportunities of artistic activity through the lens of 40 African descendant artists. With over seven years of research experience, M’Balou has looked to the economics of entrepreneurship as the basis for investigating and documenting patterns of uneven access, resources, and opportunities in the U.S. and in Africa. Whether it be through her work as a Business Coach for an entrepreneurial incubator called “Osez Innover” in Guinea or a lead author for the Cook Center’s policy report titled, “Entering Entrepreneurship: Racial Disparities in the Pathway into Business Ownership”, M’Balou’s approach to research bridges the gaps between knowledge, creativity, and social change. She received an M.A. in Public Policy (Economics Concentration) from Duke University in 2020 and a B.A. in Economics/Political Science/Global Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2015.