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Former First Lady of Ghana, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, has reportedly passed away at the Ridge Hospital in Accra. She was 76 years old.
Nana Konadu, wife of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, was Ghana’s longest-serving First Lady, having held the position across both military and civilian administrations led by her husband.
She first served from June 4 to September 24, 1979, under the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), and again from December 31, 1981, to January 6, 1993, under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). She continued as First Lady during Ghana’s return to constitutional rule, from January 7, 1993, to January 6, 2001.
Beyond her role in public life, Nana Konadu was a trailblazer for women’s empowerment and political participation. She founded the 31st December Women’s Movement, which championed gender equality, social welfare, and grassroots development.
In June 2012, she broke away from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to form the National Democratic Party (NDP). Although initially disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) from contesting the 2012 presidential election, she returned in 2016 as the NDP’s flagbearer — making history as the first woman to contest the presidency of Ghana.
In November 2018, Nana Konadu launched her first book, It Takes a Woman — a 331-page biography chronicling her journey from her youth in 1948 through her years of political and social advocacy. The publication was intended as the first of four volumes, offering what she described as “deep insights into her political activism and experiences.”
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings leaves behind a formidable legacy as one of Ghana’s most influential female leaders — a pioneer in politics, gender advocacy, and national development.
