Ghana in Crosshairs as AI Now Enables 55% of Cybercrimes in Africa – CID Boss Warns
The Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, has warned that Ghana is in the crosshairs of AI-enabled cybercrime sweeping across the continent.
Citing INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment 2026, she said AI is now enabling 55 per cent of cybercrimes across Africa, with Ghana in the crosshairs.
“With generative AI cloning voices and automating fake investments at scale, cybercrime losses have exploded, hitting our economies and citizens directly,” she said.
COP Donkor made the disclosure at the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Media Launch 2026, where she described the current threat landscape as far more sophisticated than isolated offending.
She explained that Ghana’s digital transformation, while creating enormous opportunities, is being exploited by criminals who are leveraging social engineering, stolen identities, AI and cryptocurrency to drive organised, high-speed fraud.
According to her, cybercrime has evolved into an industrialised, borderless criminal ecosystem that directly targets the hard-earned money of citizens.
She stated that the CID has adapted to meet the threat, noting that a mobile phone is now considered a crime scene, a wallet transaction serves as a lead, and an IP log ties everything together.
COP Donkor added that the Department is decentralising cybercrime experts across all Police Commands and deploying advanced digital forensics to ensure modern law enforcement moves confidently between the physical and digital worlds, placing technology directly in the service of victims, investigations and justice.
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