Alexander Ayertey Odonkor

Alexander Ayertey Odonkor is the founder and director of the Ghana Centre for China Studies. Alexander is a global economist and author with keen interest in the social, environmental and economic landscape of developed countries, emerging markets and developing economies particularly in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe and North America. Alexander holds a master’s degree (MSc) in Finance, and bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Economics and Finance from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Alexander also holds certificates in Financial Markets, Financial Programming and Policies and Finance from the New York Institute of Finance, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Babson College, respectively. Additionally, Alexander Ayertey Odonkor holds postgraduate certificates in Entrepreneurship, Environmental and Social management, Mining, Risk Management, Business Management, from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Curtin University, University of Adelaide and Delft University of Technology, respectively.

Alexander Ayertey Odonkor is also a Charter Holder in Finance (AFA) and Economics (ChE), and a Fellow at the Global Academy of Finance and Management since September 2017. With more than 10 years work experience, Alexander has worked in various capacities including Finance and Operations team lead at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Finance and Compliance personnel at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Credit Analyst at GCB Bank PLC, adjunct lecturer at the Ghana Baptist University College, and as Consultant and Trainer for SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and Pngme. In December 2023 Alexander Ayertey Odonkor led the team at the China Global Television Network (CGTN) to establish cooperation agreement with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), under the leadership of Prof. Amin Alhassan, Director-General of GBC, marking a significant milestone in China-Ghana relations.

Alexander Ayertey Odonkor has authored more than five hundred (500) publications covering key sectors and emerging industries of the global economy including energy transition, green finance, digital technology, agriculture, tourism, poverty and rural development, and climate change. Alexander’s publications are widely cited and republished by studies and reports from foremost research organizations and the world’s top-ranked universities including Cornell University, University of Michigan, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Nanyang Technological University, Georgetown University and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. In December 2024, Alexander Ayertey Odonkor became the first expert from Ghana and one of the few African economists to be invited by the UK-based World Tourism Forum Institute (WTFI) and its event brand the Global Tourism Forum (GTF), the world’s leading tourism summit. In his single-authored paper titled ‘‘Tourism Investment Key to Tackling Global Challenges,’’ published by the January-March 2025 edition of The World Magazine, the official publication of the WTFI, Alexander elucidates why investment in the tourism industry is indispensable to addressing daunting global challenges including climate change.

China Expert:Alexander Ayertey Odonkor is Ghana’s leading China expert and the first African economist to be invited to write commentaries on China’s domestic and foreign policies at China’s Diplomacy in the New Era website, the official website of the Chinese President Xi Jinping. Alexander’s publications cover all the key sectors and emerging industries of the Chinese economy including ice and snow market, China’s capital market, research and development (R&D), smart agriculture, tourism, clean energy, digital technologies, and China’s rural economy. In March 2020 Alexander Ayertey Odonkor founded the Ghana Centre for China Studies (GCCS) to advance research on China studies to support policymaking, and deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world.

As of July, 2025 Alexander Ayertey Odonkor had single-handedly authored nearly two hundred (200) publications on China and the global economy, published in a joint collaboration with China’s leading media organizations and major national information sources including the China Internet Information Center, China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Daily, People’s Daily, Beijing Review, ChinAfrica magazine and China’s Diplomacy in the New Era website. Alexander’s publications on China are widely cited by studies and reports from reputable international organizations, top-ranked universities and leading research organizations including Tsinghua University, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Kiel Institute for the World Economy, New York University, Peace Research Institute Oslo, National History Network of the People’s Republic of China, and the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations.