Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Ghana’s former first lady, dies at 76
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Ghana’s former first lady and a pioneering voice for women’s rights, has died at the age of 76. Her death, confirmed by presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu on Thursday, followed a short illness.
The passing of Agyeman-Rawlings marks the end of an era for Ghana’s political and social landscape. For 20 years, she was not only the wife of the country’s longest-serving leader, Jerry John Rawlings, but also a formidable political figure in her own right one who championed women’s empowerment long before it became mainstream.
Read also: On meeting Mrs Nana Rawlings
President John Mahama, visibly moved as he presided over the swearing-in of 37 newly appointed High Court judges at the Jubilee House, paused the ceremony to pay tribute.
“This afternoon, I received a delegation of the children of our late mother, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, to inform me about her untimely and unfortunate passing,” he said solemnly. “As we rise and pay a moment of silence to her memory, may the Almighty God grant her peaceful rest in His bosom. Amen.”
Richmond Rockson, government spokesperson described her as “an exceptional First Lady whose visionary leadership and strong organisational skills left an indelible mark on Ghana’s history. She stood firmly by Chairman Jerry John Rawlings during the revolution, displaying courage, loyalty and resilience at a defining moment in our nation’s journey.”
Read also: Rawlings and the Verdict of History
Born in November 1948 in Cape Coast, Agyeman-Rawlings was educated at Achimota School, where she met her future husband. She later studied art and textiles at university while Jerry Rawlings pursued a career in the Air Force. When he seized power in 1979, she became not just a partner but a political ally, helping shape one of Ghana’s most eventful chapters.
Her influence extended far beyond the presidency. As founder and president of the 31st December Women’s Movement — named after the date of Rawlings’ 1981 coup — she mobilised thousands of women across the country to demand social and economic empowerment. The movement was instrumental in the passage of the 1989 law granting inheritance rights to women and children, and it contributed significantly to the gender equality provisions in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
Agyeman-Rawlings’ political ambitions eventually took her into the arena herself. She sought the presidential ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2012, the party her husband founded, but lost the bid. Undeterred, she went on to establish the National Democratic Party (NDP) and, in 2016, became Ghana’s first female presidential candidate.
Read also: Remembering Jerry Rawlings; African leader with uncommon guts
Her passing, coming five years after the death of Jerry Rawlings in November 2020, has prompted an outpouring of tributes. Ghana’s parliament adjourned its sitting in her honour, while social media has been flooded with messages celebrating her courage, influence and legacy.
Agyeman-Rawlings is survived by her four children, including Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, an NDC member of parliament. The government is expected to announce funeral and state burial arrangements in consultation with the family in the coming days.
