Born in Biskra (Algeria) in 1956, Abdelhamid Ghoufi began his university training at the Algiers Business School and then went to Belgium in 1978 for post-graduation studies in financial economics at the Catholic University of Louvain. It was there that he defended, at the end of 1986, a doctoral thesis in economics, dealing with the issue of resource allocation at the macroeconomic and sectoral level.

He began his academic career in 1987 as an assistant professor in economics at Mohamed Khider-Biskra University, where he continues to teach to this day.  He rose to the rank of lecturer in 1990 and then to professor in 2008. His teaching and supervision activities focus on the themes of financial economics and industrial organization. He has participated in the scientific and research structures of the faculty as Chairman of the Scientific Council (two terms) and as Director of the “Banking, Finance and Business Administration Laboratory” (one term).

In addition to his academic activities, he worked with the Bank of Algeria as Director of Conjuncture (launching of the partial convertibility of the Dinar in 1991) then as Technical Advisor from 2002 to 2008 (study on restructuring towards non-hydrocarbons by the diversification of the  productive system).

He also chaired the management board of the Sud-Est Regional Public Holding Company , from 1997 to 2001, where he participated in the restructuring process of local public enterprises in Algeria.