Alhassan Atta-Quayson was born in and hails from Abura in Cape Coast, Central Region. He had his basic education at T.I Ahmadiyya Basic School and his secondary school education at the Saint Augustine's College in Cape Coast. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (minor Philosophy) and Master of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon. He had his terminal degree (Doctor of Philosophy) in Economics at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics Education, University of Education, Winneba. Prior to joining the University of Education, Winneba in 2013, he worked at Institute of Economic Affairs, International Food Policy Research Institute and the Third World Network - Africa (TWN-Africa). While at TWN-Africa, he coordinated the African Initiative on Mining, Environment and Society (AIMES), a pan-African grouping of policy makers, NGOs, academics and activists working on extractives, gaining access to a wide network of stakeholders in the extractives sector across the continent. He was also the coordinator for the National Coalition on Mining in Ghana.
Over the past two decades, he has consulted for a range of organizations that include the African Center for Economic Transformation, International Development Research Centre (through WUSC), Tax Justice Network - Africa, Natural Resource Governance Institute (through the Social Investment Consultancy), Action Aid International, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Ghana (through Public Services International Ghana), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and African Development Bank among others. He therefore possesses requisite understanding of the extractives sector in Ghana and across the continent focusing on key themes such as value addition, linkages, local content, artisanal and small-scale mining, environmental protection, livelihoods and fiscal regimes across the continent. He has vast experience and exceptional reach as far as stakeholder consultations and primary data collection are concerned. He has also consulted on other research projects for institutions such as the UK-based Independent Commission for Aid Impact, Ghana-based Institute for Democratic Governance and some Municipal Assemblies in Ghana among others.
