Meet the Donkors: The first mother and daughter to each be COPs of the Ghana Police Service

The security services in Ghana, including the Ghana Police Service, are dominated by men, yet a few women have broken glass ceilings, changing the narrative for females in the service.

Two of these women are a mother and daughter who have risen from the lowest rank in the Ghana Police Service to the highest - Commissioner of Police (COP).

These two women — COP Jane Christie Donkor (rtd) and COP Lydia Yaakko Donkor — are the first mother and daughter to attain the highest rank in the police service.

COP Jane Christie Donkor (rtd) was Ghana’s first female COP, and her daughter, COP Lydia Yaakko Donkor, followed in her footsteps and is now leading the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.

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Below are brief profiles of the two women:

COP Jane Christie Donkor (rtd):

COP Christie Donkor (rtd) became the first female COP in 2001. She was also the first female Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP). Before she was appointed a COP, the highest rank any woman could attain in the police was the DCOP position.

She was enlisted as a Chief Inspector into the then Special Branch of the Ghana Police Service, now the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), in 1970, and rose through the ranks to become a COP.

She played a key role in the formation of the Police Ladies Association (POLAS). She also advocated for the recruitment of more women into the police service to ensure gender balance in the law enforcement institution.

She held various positions, among which included Commissioner, Welfare, and Officer in Charge of Training at the National Police Training School (NPTS), Tesano.

She also saw to the restructuring of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POLWA), which was at the time limited only to wives of senior police officers, to include wives of junior-ranking personnel.

COP Lydia Yaakko Donkor:

Lydia Yaakko Donkor was promoted to the rank of COP in 2025 after she was appointed the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on March 19, 2025.

COP Yaakko Donkor, who is also a senior lawyer called to the Bar over 25 years ago, has an impressive blend of law practice and law enforcement.



She began her career as an associate at Acquah-Sampson and Associates, where she handled litigation and legal drafting. She also served as a pro bono advocate for the Legal Aid Board in Takoradi, where she championed gender and children's rights, providing legal representation for underprivileged communities.

Her transition into law enforcement was marked by a swift rise through the ranks of the Ghana Police Service. She served in various capacities, including Head of Legal and Prosecutions in multiple regions, Divisional Commander of Tesano, and District Commander of Tesano-Accra.

Her dedication to justice and the rule of law earned her a place in international peacekeeping, serving as a United Nations Police Officer (UNPOL) in Liberia, where she played a pivotal role in internal evaluations and addressing conduct and discipline issues.

In August 2025, she made history by becoming the first Ghanaian and the only woman to be elected to serve on the INTERPOL Africa Committee.

BAI/AE

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