Ghana: Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings Dies @ 76

admin

Loading

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (R) and Jerry John Rawlings (L).

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings widow of Ghana’s longest-serving president, John Jerry Rawlings, has died at the age of 76.

The former First Lady of Ghaba died a at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.

She reportedly gave up the ghost after a short illness.

The government announced her death in the afternoon on Thursday.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was First Lady from 1981 to 2001. This also made her the longest-serving First Lady.

She founded the National Democratic Party (NDP) and also the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM), a women’s group named after the date when her husband’s second coup took place in 1981.

With her organisation, she sought to empower women around the country, both socially and professionally.

Her late husband, former President John Jerry Rawlings, died in 2020. He presided over the West African country for 19 years.

The former first lady’s family visited President John Mahama earlier on Thursday to officially notify him of her death.

Mahama leads the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, founded by Rawlings after he took power.

Agyeman-Rawlings nursed political ambitions and was the NDC’s first Vice-Phairperson in 2009.

She lost her bid to become the party’s presidential candidate in 2011 and formed the National Democratic Party (NDP).

In 2016, she became the first woman to run for president of Ghana as her party’s flag bearer. She was nicknamed “The Hillary Clinton” of Africa for her bold attempt.

Agyeman-Rawlings lost the contest, securing less than one percent of the votes cast.

The former first lady was also an outspoken women’s rights advocate.

She spearheaded legal changes, including the adoption of a law which improved the inheritance rights of widows and children.

Through her efforts, Ghana became the first nation in the world to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1990.

Ghana’s parliament has adjourned in honour of Agyeman-Rawlings as the country prepares to officially mourn the iconic political figure celebrated for empowering millions of women.

On social media sites such as X (formerly Twitter), tributes to the former First Lady were numerous:

Share This
Share

Related posts

  • October 11, 2026 admin 0

    Remi Tinubu Assures President’ll Move Nigeria From Reforms To Prosperity If Re-elected

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (L) and wife, Oluremi Tinubu.  Oluremi Tinubu, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s wife, Saturday said her husband will move Nigeria from economic reforms to prosperity if re-elected for a second term in 2027.  Mrs. Tinubu said this in Lafia at the North-Central Mega Rally organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to mobilise support for the re-election of President Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.  The President’s wife urged party members to take the campaign to communities across the region and mobilise voters for the party’s candidates.  She highlighted some achievements of the Tinubu administration across various sectors, saying continuity was necessary to sustain the gains.  Said she: “President Tinubu is a man who believes in the unity, security and prosperity of our nation.  “The Independence Day message of Mr President was titled ‘From Reforms to Prosperity’.  “Therefore, Mr President is saying that they are going to reform the sector, but now is the time for prosperity, and we can see our economy is stabilising.  “Foreign exchange is going down, and investors are coming back to Nigeria, our farmers too. You can see all our Governors here, they are doing infrastructural development like no other time before.  “I have been in the Senate for 12 years. This is the best time I will see government fixing roads and building a lot of infrastructure”.  Tinubu also cited the administration’s food support programme, saying it was designed to provide nutritious food for children, pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers.  Stated Mrs. Tinubu: “As you see now, we have just finished the food bank programme, where we are helping every child and mothers who are pregnant and also breast-feeding.  “This is to ensure that they can have more nutritious food, and also the children that are malnourished can get treatment and also get food to grow healthy”.  She added that students were also benefiting from the administration’s education funding initiatives.  The President’s wife urged party members to communicate the administration’s policies and programmes to Nigerians in their respective States.  She described Tinubu as a leader willing to take difficult decisions, expressing confidence that his policies would strengthen the economy and improve security. ...
    News Politics 
  • October 11, 2026 admin 0

    HURIWA Asks EFCC To Conclude ‘Corruption’ Probes Of Okowa, Bello

    Ifeanyi Okowa, Ex-Gov. of Delta State (L) and Fmr. Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was Friday told to bring its investigations involving Ifeanyi Okowa, erstwhile Governor of Delta State and Yahaya Bello, ex-Governor of Kogi State, to a clear and lawful conclusion. The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) made this call in a statement issued by Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator of HURIWA, who also cautioned political parties against fielding candidates whose unresolved corruption cases raise serious questions.  Onwubiko said an opinion poll conducted by HURIWA across Nigeria, involving more than 6,000 respondents, indicated public disapproval of parties fielding politicians with unresolved corruption allegations.  He said 99 percent of respondents condemned the practice, with particular criticism directed at the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its decision to field Okowa for a senatorial contest in Delta north.  He said the respondents in Delta north criticised the party for choosing the former Governor instead of Ned Nwoko, incumbent Senator, demanding the EFCC to clarify the status of its investigation on Okowa.  He said the EFCC must explain the status of its investigation into Okowa, who was arrested and detained in November 2024.  Read the statement: “Okowa was at our Port-Harcourt office following an invitation from the investigators probing the allegations against him. He was then arrested.   “The Commission is investigating him regarding the N1.3 trillion 13% derivation fund from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023″.  Onwubiko said allegations reported at the time included questions about funds allegedly used to acquire shares in a floating liquefied natural gas project and other investments.  He said these were allegations under investigation and not proof of guilt.  It noted that Okowa subsequently denied wrongdoing, with his aide maintaining that EFCC had not established a case against him.  Said HURIWA: “Where investigators have sufficient evidence to prosecute, the EFCC should proceed without undue delay. Where the evidence is insufficient, the Commission should equally clarify the position rather than leave the matter indefinitely unresolved”.  He added that respondents in Kogi State expressed similar concerns about unresolved allegations involving Yahaya Bello over alleged diversion of public funds during his tenure.  He said the reported scale of allegations made it imperative for anti-graft agencies to pursue matters transparently and through courts.  Onwubiko said its poll reflected public frustration with respondents perceived as a gap between anti-corruption rhetoric and political choices made by parties seeking public office. ...
    Crime View News Politics 
  • October 11, 2026 admin 0

    Obi-Kwankwaso Campaign Council Comes Alive October 20 – NDC

    The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has scheduled the inauguration of its presidential campaign council for the 2027 general election for October 20.  Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, is the presidential candidate of the party, while Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State, is his running mate.  Speaking on Saturday at a press conference in Abuja, Cleopas Zuwoghe, NDC’s national chairman, said although, the party had prepared the Council’s organogram, it was consulting its presidential and vice-presidential candidates on key appointments.  Zuwoghe said the party was taking time to finalise the appointments to avoid appointing officials whose loyalties could undermine its campaign.  Said he: “It is a sensitive election that we are going into. And we must check characters. It is not today you appoint one D-G of your campaign, and in the middle of the campaign, you will hear that your D-G is one leg in the NDC, one leg somewhere else.  “And will jeopardise the whole hope of this country. So they have to check and double-check”.  The Chairman said the party had proposed a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for October 20, during which it would inaugurate the campaign council and issue certificates of return to its candidates.  Said Zuwoghe:“And to let you know, we have proposed a NEC meeting for the 20th of this month, and today is the 10th.  “So on the 20th of this month, we shall have a NEC meeting, and in that next meeting, what we intend to achieve is to formally inaugurate our presidential campaign council. Also, as a party, to give certificates of return.  “We’re the ones who give candidates tickets now. So we should be able to give our candidates certificates of return that these people are our party candidates. And we had intended to have a dinner with all our candidates to build synergy.  “But from that point, we can hit the ground running. But let me also let you know, the NDC has not been very silent, as some people would assume and say.  “We have been in Sokoto, we have been in Kaduna, on the 15th, we shall be in Enugu. So it is not to mean that we have not been working. But you know, there is a pattern that we are used to.  “And that pattern shall be unveiled in the next couple of days. As I said earlier, NDC is building an institution that shall uplift us. And that is why we are always very passionate about youth”.  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in August opened the campaign window for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.  The Commission also officially opened campaigns for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections in September. 
    News Politics 

Leave a Comment