Ghana Mourns Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings at 76

Former Ghanaian First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has died at 76 after a brief illness. Widow of Jerry John Rawlings, she was a politician and women’s rights advocate, founding the 31st December Women’s Movement and influencing gender equality laws. She and Rawlings had four children, including NDC MP Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings. Ghana’s parliament has adjourned to honor her legacy.

Ghana is mourning the death of its former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, who passed away at the age of 76. She was the widow of Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana's longest-serving leader, who died five years ago. Rawlings, a former military officer, had led two coups before being elected twice as president through multiparty elections.

The news of Agyeman-Rawlings' death, which followed a brief illness, was confirmed on Thursday morning by Ghanaian presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu. Following the announcement, social media platforms were filled with tributes honoring her legacy as a former first lady, politician, and women's rights advocate.

Later in the day, her family visited former President John Mahama to officially inform him of her passing. Mahama currently leads the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the political party founded by Jerry Rawlings after he assumed power. Agyeman-Rawlings herself had pursued political ambitions and contested to become the NDC's presidential candidate in 2012, though she did not secure the nomination.

During her tenure as first lady, Agyeman-Rawlings established the 31st December Women's Movement, an organization dedicated to empowering women and providing them with skills to generate income and support their communities. The movement's name commemorates the date of her husband’s second coup in 1981.

Born in November 1948, Agyeman-Rawlings grew up in a middle-class family in Cape Coast. She later attended the prestigious Achimota School in Accra as a boarder, where she met her future husband. Unlike Rawlings, she pursued higher education, earning a university degree in art and textiles. Jerry Rawlings joined the Ghana Air Force and attained the rank of flight lieutenant in 1978, one year after their marriage.

Soon after, at the age of 32, Rawlings assumed power, with Agyeman-Rawlings becoming one of his closest and most trusted advisers. The couple, recognized for their youthful energy, charisma, and glamour, became a highly influential, though sometimes controversial, political duo in Ghana. Together, they raised four children, with their eldest, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, following in her parents’ political footsteps as an NDC Member of Parliament.

The 31st December Women’s Movement, initially perceived as an extension of the NDC, is credited with transforming the lives of countless women across Ghana, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas. Agyeman-Rawlings’ advocacy significantly influenced national legislation, including a 1989 law that secured inheritance rights for women and children. She also played a pivotal role in incorporating gender equality provisions into Ghana’s 1992 constitution, which restored multiparty democracy in the country.

In recognition of her contributions, Ghana’s parliament has adjourned as the nation prepares to officially mourn one of its most iconic figures, a former first lady who championed the inclusion of women in politics and left a lasting legacy of empowerment and reform.