The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), is the head of the Ghana Police Service. The IGP is appointed by the President of Ghana in accordance with the Constitution.
The IGP is the head of the Police Service and is responsible for the operational control and the administration of the service
The core mandatory responsibility of the IGP is to ensure operational control and administration of all managerial activities in relation to the maintenance of Law and Order in the country.
The first Ghanaian Police Commissioner, E. R. T. Madjitey was appointed to head the service on October 9, 1958.
The IGP is aided by two deputies as well as nine directors and a Chief Staff Officer.
Following the retirement of B. A. Yakubu as the head of the Police service, the Progress Party government of Kofi Abrefa Busia appointed R. D. Ampaw, a lawyer civil servant as his successor.
this portal provides a historical comprehensive overview of all the IGPs from 1992 to 2021.
- J.Y.A Kwofie, First IGP of the Fourth Republic
Kwofie served as an IGP of the Ghana Police Service from January 1, 1990, to September 30, 1996.
He was appointed by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.
- Peter Tengababeng Nanfuri
Tengababeng Nanfuri served as the IGP from October 1, 1996, to January 21, 2001.
He is the second IGP of the Fourth Republic.
He also served as the Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
Nanfuri is currently the 4th Paramount Chief of the Jirapa Traditional area.
- Ernest Owusu-Poku
Owusu-Poku served as IGP from January 22, 2001, to July 21, 2001.
Prior to that, he was the Director of Passports at the Ghana Passports office.
He also served as the Secretary to the Justice Archer Commission into Police Affairs from 1997 to 1997.
- Nana Owusu-Nsiah
He was the Ambassador to Israel and served as the IGP from July 22, 2001, to March 23, 2005.
He was appointed by former President John Agyekum Kufuor when the Nw Patriotic Party (NPP) won power.
- Patrick Kwateng Acheampong
Patrick was the Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service from March 25, 2005, to January 28, 2009.
He served as a Regional Police Commander in the Northern and Ashanti Regions of Ghana from 1992 to 1996 and Deputy Commissioner at the National Police Headquarters, Accra, Ghana.He is a barrister and initially worked as a Prosecutor at the Law Courts in Accra, Ghana in 1976.
- Elizabeth Mills-Robertson
She reigns as the first and only woman to have been appointed as an acting Inspector General of Police.
She excellently served in that capacity from January 28, 2009, to May 15, 2009.
- Paul Tawiah Quaye
He served as the IGP from May 16, 2009, to February 5, 2013.
Paul Quaye rose through the profession to become the Commissioner in Charge of Research and Planning before his appointment as the Inspector General of Police on May 16, 2009, as the eighteenth IGP, aside some 11 commissioners of police (commissioner of police used to be the topmost position in the GPS from 1893-1966).
After serving his term dutifully and injecting certain key reforms into the service, he retired yesterday, February 4, 2013 with no significant ceremony.
- Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan
Prior to his appointment as an IGP of the Ghana Police Service, Alhassan served as Police Commissioner for the United Nations Mission in Liberia.
He is the Commanding Officer of the Ghana Police Service.
He was appointed by former President John Mahama.
- John Kudalor
John Kudalor served as an Inspector General of Police from 2016 to 2017 under the leadership of former President John Mahama.
- David Asante-Apeatu
David Asante-Apeatu was appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He served as the IGP from 2017 to 2019.
He served as an Inspector of Factories, Shops, and Offices by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare from 1985 to 1988.
He further served as the Director-General for Information Communication Technology at the Police Headquarters, Accra, Ghana, and Head of the Marine Police.
He is a forensic specialist and a renowned police officer.
- James Oppong-Boanuh
James Oppong-Boanuh, before his appointment as the IGP in October 2019, served as the Chief Staff Officer to the Inspector General of Police, Director-General of Welfare, Director-General of Human Resources, Regional Commander, Director-General of Legal and Prosecutions, Director-General of Administration, and Deputy Inspector General of Police.
He is an alumnus of the University of Ghana, and an old student of Dormaa Secondary School.
He is a lawyer.
- Dr. George Akuffo Dampare
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare took over as Inspector General of Police (IGP) after he was sworn in by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He was the Director-General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service.
He joined the Service as a constable and worked his way up the ladder with over three decades of service to the country, rising to the rank of a COP.
Dr. Dampare joined the Service 32 years ago without secondary school education.
