Aly Z. Ramji is currently the principal of Gamut International (www.gamutint.com), a Canadian/US based trade and investment advisory, as well as public diplomacy consulting firm.

Ramji’s core competencies in image management, government branding and international public diplomacy has enabled his firm Gamut International Corporation, to work with government agencies, foundations, NGO’s, non-profits and international agencies in the areas of diplomacy, and sustainable and ethical investment and development.

Ramji currently serves as a Special Advisor on Africa to Orbixa Capital (www.orbixacapital.com) a boutique Investment Bank / Corporate Finance House in Canada. His work focuses on engaging ethical investments in mining, infrastructure and alternative energies in the emerging markets of Africa.

He is also a principle consultant to Sub-Saharan African Development Enterprise, an infrastructure development firm focused on projects in Africa (www.ssade.com). Ramji has served as a Business Competition Judge for the African Diaspora Marketplace Initiative created by USAID aimed at diaspora driven development (www.diasporamarketplace.org).

In addition, Ramji worked as a Subject Matter Expert to the Department of Army – Human Terrain program. He provided relevant socio-cultural and economic knowledge along with military staff decision-making process to Army commanders. His expertise assists the US Army to understand a better approach to economic reconstruction initiatives in conflict areas.

During his graduate studies, Ramji was responsible for creating the esteemed Graduate Program in Public Diplomacy at Syracuse University, merging the University’s Maxwell School of Public Policy and the Newhouse School of Public Communications via their Masters of International Affairs and Masters in Public Relations into a streamlined program. Today, the Program is considered as one of the top graduate courses, bridging the world of communications and international affairs.

Upon completing his graduate studies, and as the first graduate of the Program in Public Diplomacy, Ramji worked as an Economic Journalist in Washington DC, covering the regions of Africa and the Middle East.  Part of his work involved conducting in-depth economic research, identifying trade opportunities and sourcing business trends in emerging markets.

Ramji’s research was used to write market profiles of various economic sectors of countries in Africa and the Middle East, focusing on banking, industry and telecommunications. He had the opportunity to interview various government officials including ministers of trade, ministers of finance, and state ambassadors. Ramji continues working as a freelance journalist covering topics focused on economic development in the emerging markets.

Ramji has worked for a number of international agencies and NGO’s in the area of development communications, monitoring and evaluation, institutional capacity building and public relations.    Most recently in mid-2011, Ramji completed the evaluation of UNESCO’s Joint Program on Education in Tanzania.

In the past, at the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services in Geneva, Ramji undertook the program evaluation for the UN’s Cultural Activities Program, assisting in developing new methods for the cultural department to promote efficient outreach and communication activities, and worked on various other UN audits.

He worked on a poverty reduction communications strategy for the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, designing material to educate local citizens on poverty awareness.

At the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Ramji worked in the Knowledge Communications department where he focused on evaluating knowledge networks and determined how social influences in policy networks impact development growth in emerging markets.

He has developed a media strategy for UNESCO’s Eighth Conference of African Ministers of Education in Dar es Salaam, and assisted in creating a communications program to promote sustainable tourism in East Africa for the agency’s Slave Route program.

Ramji also worked for the Communications department for the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), during two of its Heads of States meetings, and has served the Aga Khan Development Network’s communications team in various capacities.

A few of Ramji’s client’s have also included, the Central Bank of Tanzania, the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, the East African Community, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, United Nations Development Programme, as well as various embassies in the Washington DC area

Education

• Master of Arts, International Relations  The Maxwell School of  Public Affairs, Syracuse University,
• Master of Science, Public Relations S.I. Newhouse School of Communications, Syracuse University
• Bachelor of Arts, Economics – Finance & Int’l Studies – University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
• Financial Modeling & DCF Valuation, Wall Street Prep, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
• Certificate of Advanced Study in Conflict Resolution –Syracuse University, New York
•  Initiated and created the Graduate Program on Public Diplomacy – Syracuse University