In 2018, the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (Task Force) introduced a set of awards to recognize individuals and institutions that are making outstanding contributions towards achieving the NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals.

"The Task Force Secretariat received a large number of nominations and I have the honour to inform you that you have been nominated for one of the 2018 awards," a letter to Mrs Darko signed by Dr Nicholas Banatala, Head of Secretariat of the Taskforce said.

The Awards will be presented at the margins of the Third High-level meeting on NCDs on 27 September, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Mrs. Darko is a pharmacist with over 25 years’ experience in regulation of medicines with respect to clinical trials regulation, marketing authorization and post approval safety monitoring of medicines.

She has played key leadership roles in the regulation of clinical trials in Africa, resulting in the FDA Ghana, in 2013, being designated by the NEPAD/AMRH as a Regional Centre for Regulatory Excellence (RCORE) in Clinical Trials and Drug Registration.

Mrs. Darko serves on several international and local advisory committees including the CIOMS Vaccine Safety Working Group, the African Regulators’ Network, and the Technical Coordinating Committee of the African Vaccines Regulatory Forum of which she is the current chairperson.

She is the Secretary to the two Technical Advisory Committees of the FDA for Safety and Clinical trials.She has chaired and made presentations on regulation of medicines, marketing authorization, clinical trials regulation and pharmacovigilance in various national and international conferences.