Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, has been elected to serve a four-year term as a member of the newly formed INTERPOL Africa Committee.
She becomes the first Ghanaian and the only female member of the body.
Her election marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s history of international policing and also highlights the increasing recognition of women in high-level law enforcement leadership across Africa.
COP Donkor’s achievement reflects her distinguished career within the Ghana Police Service and her sustained advocacy for accountability, justice, and security.
The Africa Committee, which is part of INTERPOL’s wider governance structure, is tasked with enhancing law enforcement cooperation across the continent.
Its responsibilities include identifying strategic priorities in combating crime, recommending actions to the African Regional Conference, and advising on policing and security issues specific to Africa.
Egypt, Kenya and South Africa will also serve four-year terms alongside Ghana, while Botswana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Sudan have been nominated for two-year terms.
At the 27th INTERPOL African Regional Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, where her election was announced, COP Donkor delivered an address highlighting Ghana’s fight against cybercrime.
She noted that the Ghana Police Service is the only law enforcement agency in the country with a state-of-the-art digital forensic laboratory dedicated to tackling cybercrime.
She outlined recent successes, including arrests, the dismantling of malicious digital infrastructure, the recovery of assets, and collaboration with telecom providers and INTERPOL member countries to disrupt cross-border crimes.
COP Donkor also referenced Ghana’s role in Operation Serengeti, an INTERPOL-led initiative that dismantled criminal digital networks and resulted in several arrests across the region.
She emphasized that Ghana’s efforts prove that through innovation, partnership and consistency, African countries can create safer digital spaces.
The conference brought together delegations from 56 countries to strengthen collaboration and confront the growing threats of transnational organized crime.
