The agreement, signed by Ethiopian Federal Police Commissioner General Demelash Gebremichael and INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza in Addis Ababa, formally brings the Ethiopian Police University into the INTERPOL Global Academy Network, an international platform connecting police education and training institutions.
The partnership is expected to strengthen Ethiopia’s police education system, align professional training with international standards and expand opportunities for knowledge exchange, institutional development and cooperation in addressing transnational crime.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Commissioner General Demelash said the university’s membership in the network opens a new chapter in cooperation between the Ethiopian Federal Police and INTERPOL.
He described the agreement as an important milestone for the institutional development of the Ethiopian police, noting that it would help bring police education and training standards into closer alignment with international benchmarks while positioning the university as a strategic resource for the wider East African region.
Emphasizing the increasingly international nature of organized crime, Demelash said no country could effectively combat such threats in isolation.
He noted that the partnership would enhance the Federal Police’s access to international information-sharing mechanisms, modern criminal investigation technologies and coordinated law enforcement approaches.
The Commissioner General also acknowledged INTERPOL’s previous support in strengthening the professional capabilities of Ethiopian police officers through its Virtual Academy, as well as its contribution to efforts to track down and bring human trafficking offenders operating across borders to justice.
For his part, INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza commended Ethiopia for its longstanding support to the organization over the past 70 years and its leadership in advancing regional law enforcement cooperation.
He underscored the importance of joint action against transnational and regional crime, observing that Africa’s economic growth is increasingly attracting the attention of international criminal networks.
Urquiza stressed the need to strengthen coordinated cross-border efforts and reaffirmed INTERPOL’s commitment to expanding support for law enforcement institutions across the region through access to its databases, professional training and capacity-building initiatives.
The agreement is expected to further enhance Ethiopia’s institutional capacity to train and support law enforcement personnel while contributing to broader regional and international efforts to address increasingly complex cross-border security challenges.