The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, has made history by being elected to the newly formed Interpol Africa Committee.
She has become the first Ghanaian ever to serve on a regional committee of INTERPOL, the world’s largest police organization, and the only female member on the Africa Committee.
The Ghana Police Service disclosed this in a statement released on Sunday, August 31, 2025. It said COP Donkor’s election as the only woman on the committee shows that her distinguished career and leadership within the Ghana Police Service are being recognized. Her election is also a major feat for women in policing across Africa and a milestone for gender inclusion in global security leadership, considering women occupy less than a fifth of senior policing roles across Africa, experts say.
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“Being the 1st Ghanaian to serve on a regional committee of the world’s largest police organization (INTERPOL) makes her a true trailblazer for women in policing,” the statement said. “Her nomination is both a testament to Ghana’s leadership in global policing and a reflection of her personal commitment to justice, accountability, and security.”
COP Donkor said she is deeply humbled to serve, and she hopes that her appointment will inspire more women to pursue leadership roles in security and justice.
The recently established Interpol Africa Committee is expected to strengthen law enforcement cooperation across the continent, with its major responsibilities being advising on issues of criminality and police cooperation typical to the African region and advising the African Regional Conference.
The Interpol African Regional Conference just closed with police leaders from across the continent outlining some recommendations that will help strengthen international police cooperation and enhance Africa’s capacity to fight transnational organized crime and terrorism, Interpol said in a statement.
The recommendations included harnessing Interpol’s global expertise to combat cybercrime, particularly ransomware, online scams and digital extortion; expanding intelligence and data exchange between specialist units to identify high-value targets and disrupt criminal networks; and strengthening border controls with regional and international partners to disrupt the movement of illicit goods, smuggled persons, and terrorist suspects, the statement by Interpol added.
The new Interpol African Committee was created during the three-day meeting of the region’s police leaders in South Africa from August 27 to 29.
Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa were elected to serve four-year terms on the Committee, besides Ghana. Botswana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Sudan secured two-year terms.
