The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed a Senior Economist with the Fund, Dr. Adrian Alter as the new Resident Representative to Ghana.

Dr. Alter is expected to formally assume office from September 2, 2025.

He will take over from current Country Representative, Dr. Leandro Medina whose tenure of office will end in August 2025, after three years of service with the IMF in Ghana.

Dr. Medina, who was appointed in September 2022, played a key role in Ghana’s current Extended Credit Facility programme with the IMF which is expected to end in May 2026.

JOYBUSINESS understands that Dr. Alter will be in Accra in August to aid the smooth transition and hand over.

Who is Dr. Adrian Alter

Dr. Alter is currently part of the IMF Mission Team that is currently supervising Ghana’s Extended Credit Facility.

He is a senior economist at the IMF, where he works at the intersection of finance, policy, and development.

He has over a decade of experience at the IMF. Dr. Alter has supported countries across Africa and beyond in navigating complex economic challenges, including those related to financial stability, inflation, and sovereign debt.

His work has contributed to IMF-supported programmes in Ghana, Serbia and Tunisia, among others, where he has engaged closely with national authorities to design policies that promote macroeconomic stability, durable growth and resilience.

Dr. Alter brings a deep commitment to equitable development and sustainable progress.

Prior to joining the IMF, he held positions at the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, and UBS Investment Bank.

Educational Background

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Finance, and has completed executive training in financial stability at Yale University.

His research focuses on macroprudential and monetary policies, as well as the nexus between governments and financial institutions—critical areas for building stronger, more inclusive economies.

2016 - Programme on Financial Stability, Summer Institute, Yale School of Management, New Haven

2013 - PhD in Quantitative Economics and Finance (magna cum laude), University of Konstanz, Germany

2009 - MSc in Finance, HEC Lausanne, Switzerland

Previous Work Experience

2012/05 – 2012/11: European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (PhD Internship) Financial Stability Surveillance Department (DG-F) – contributed to the Financial Stability Review - Dec 2012, Surveillance Notes, the European Banking Union

2011/07 – 2012/04: Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Visiting Scholar) Banking Supervision Department – analyzed interbank interconnectedness, systemic risk, and bank capital buffers from a network perspective using the German Credit Register

2009/02 – 2009/07: UBS Investment Bank, Zürich, Switzerland (Internship) European Equities Trading Floor – contributed to reports for the Swiss Equities Management using data applications such as Bloomberg and Reuters

Dr. Adrian Alter’s Focus and priority Areas

Dr. Alter is expected to coordinate affairs locally on Ghana’s current programme with the IMF.

He may play important role on ongoing tax reforms being led by the IMF.

Dr. Alter is also expected to act as the local spokesperson for the IMF and engage other stakeholders like Government, Finance Ministry and the Bank of Ghana as well as civil society groups.