The Ghana Police Service has intensified its campaign against human trafficking and transnational organized crime under the leadership of Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Appointed in March 2025 by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, COP Donkor assumed office at a time when Ghana and its neighbouring countries were grappling with an alarming rise in cross-border crimes particularly human trafficking, labour exploitation, and cyber-enabled fraud.
Within weeks of taking office, she identified human trafficking as one of Ghana’s most urgent security and human rights concerns. Syndicates operating across Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, and other African states were luring victims with promises of jobs, education, or business opportunities, only to trap them in forced labour, prostitution, or cybercrime schemes.
The CID subsequently conducted a comprehensive review of ongoing investigations and victim rescue operations. The findings were sobering.
In the first half of 2025 alone, 131 victims of sex trafficking and cyber-fraud mostly Nigerians were rescued in Ghana. Another 159 were freed from labour exploitation, while 113 Ghanaians were identified as victims of Q-NET-related trafficking networks operating within the sub-region.
Recognizing the growing sophistication of these criminal enterprises, COP Donkor rolled out an intelligence-driven strategy aimed at dismantling recruitment networks, tracking syndicates, and enhancing inter-agency cooperation at the borders. Under the Inspector-General’s direction, the Service renewed its commitment to fighting transnational crime, placing human trafficking high on its operational agenda.
Beyond local interventions, COP Donkor extended Ghana’s fight to the international stage. At the INTERPOL African Regional Conference held in South Africa earlier this year, she was elected to serve on the INTERPOL Africa Committee becoming the first Ghanaian and the only woman on the panel. From that platform, she initiated bilateral discussions with other law enforcement leaders on collective regional action against human trafficking.
Her engagement with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) led to a significant milestone. On November 6, 2025, COP Donkor led an eight-member Ghanaian delegation to Abuja, Nigeria, for a high-level bilateral meeting focused on human trafficking and related crimes.
The meeting, co-chaired by Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Sadiq I. Abubakar of the NPF and COP Donkor, marked the first formal gathering between the two countries solely dedicated to developing joint strategies for combating trafficking.
In his remarks, DIG Abubakar commended Ghana’s proactive leadership and described the meeting as a vital step toward tackling a shared regional challenge.
COP Donkor, for her part, expressed appreciation to the Nigerian authorities for their cooperation and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to building sustainable partnerships that protect vulnerable populations and enhance border security.
The Abuja discussions explored the growing nexus between human trafficking and cybercrime, particularly the use of online platforms to recruit victims and promote fraudulent investment schemes. Both countries agreed to strengthen intelligence-sharing, conduct joint operations, expedite prosecutions, and improve mechanisms for rescuing and repatriating victims.
They also pledged to deepen collaboration under the frameworks of ECOWAS and INTERPOL.
Since then, the Ghana Police Service has developed an integrated approach that merges intelligence, community policing, and international collaboration. Working alongside the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Economic and Organized Crime Office, and global partners, the CID has enhanced coordination to target traffickers and safeguard victims.
Under COP Donkor’s leadership, specialized investigative units have been trained to focus on cyber-enabled trafficking, technical crime analysis, and victim protection.
The CID has also strengthened its cooperation with INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Accra to improve real-time information exchange on suspects and trafficking networks.
The November 2025 meeting in Abuja represents a pivotal moment for regional security cooperation. It underscores Ghana’s determination to confront human trafficking through prevention, partnership, and proactive enforcement.
The initiative not only reinforces Ghana’s position as a leader in transnational crime prevention but also signals a new era of intelligence-led policing across West Africa.
As both countries continue to build on the outcomes of the Abuja accord, the Ghana Police Service remains unwavering in its mission to protect every individual within its borders from exploitation and ensure that those who traffic in human lives are brought to justice.
