Dr. Asma Amina Belem researches the political economy of foreign aid, development assistance for health, environmental governance, and African politics. She has analyzed various aspects of Chinese engagement in Africa. This includes Chinese medical cooperation, environmental civil society mobilization against Chinese-funded projects, and the prospects of China’s cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States to develop regional infrastructure projects. Her research brings to light the role of recipients’ domestics in shaping foreign aid relationships with China and deepens understanding of the Francophone African countries’ engagement with the latter. Her work has been featured in the Canadian Journal of African Studies and Prospect & Exploration.
Dr. Belem received her PhD. in Development Studies from National Cheng-Chi University in Taiwan. She also has a master's degree in Applied Economics and Social Development from the same university and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Université Thomas Sankara (formerly Université Ouaga II) in her native Burkina Faso. She speaks French, English, Chinese, Mooré, and Dioula.