Ghana’s former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, has passed away at the age of 76. She was the wife of the late Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s longest-serving leader, who died five years ago.
Nana Konadu died on Thursday morning after a short illness, according to family sources. Tributes have poured in from across the country, with many remembering her as a trailblazer for women’s empowerment and a powerful political voice in Ghana’s modern history.
As First Lady, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement, an organization aimed at equipping women with skills and resources to improve their livelihoods and communities. Her efforts were instrumental in shaping Ghana’s gender equality policies, including the 1989 law on inheritance rights for women and children, and the inclusion of gender equality provisions in the 1992 Constitution.
Born in November 1948 in Cape Coast, Nana Konadu came from a middle-class family and attended the prestigious Achimota School in Accra, where she met her future husband. She later studied art and textiles at university, while Jerry Rawlings joined the Air Force and rose to the rank of flight lieutenant.
The couple married in 1977, and two years later, Rawlings seized power in a coup. Young, dynamic, and politically influential, Nana Konadu stood beside her husband through decades of leadership and political transformation.
Beyond her role as First Lady, she pursued her own political ambitions, including a bid to lead the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2012, though she was unsuccessful. Her legacy continues through her daughter, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, who serves as an NDC member of parliament.
Parliament has adjourned in her honor, and the nation is preparing for an official period of mourning for one of Ghana’s most iconic women — a leader whose vision and advocacy for gender equality transformed lives across the country.