Ghana is mourning the passing of its former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, a pioneering stateswoman and one of the most influential women in the country’s modern political history.
Reports indicate that she died in the early hours of Thursday, October 23, 2025, at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
She was 76.
According to sources, the former First Lady had been unwell for some time and was receiving medical attention before her passing.
News of her death spread rapidly across the country, triggering an outpouring of tributes from political figures, women’s groups, and citizens who regarded her as a symbol of courage, leadership, and resilience.
A distinguished public life
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was born on November 17, 1948, in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana.
She was educated at Achimota School and later attended the University of Science and Technology (now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – KNUST), where she studied Art and Design.
While at the university, she met Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, whom she married in 1977.
Her life took a public turn when her husband led the June 4, 1979, uprising and later the 31st December Revolution in 1981, events that profoundly shaped Ghana’s political landscape.
As First Lady during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) era and later under the Fourth Republic, Mrs. Rawlings became an active figure in national development and women’s empowerment.
Champion for women’s rights
In 1982, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM), a powerful organisation that sought to empower women economically and socially, particularly in rural communities.
The movement established preschools, promoted microcredit initiatives, and advocated for women’s inclusion in decision-making at all levels.
Under her leadership, the DWM became one of the largest women’s organisations in Ghana and across Africa.
Her advocacy contributed to key policy shifts, including the recognition of women’s rights in the 1992 Constitution and the advancement of gender equality in governance.
Nana Konadu was also instrumental in pushing for the introduction of the Intestate Succession Law (PNDC Law 111), which protected the rights of spouses and children to inherit property — a landmark legal reform that transformed family law in Ghana.
A political force in her own right
Beyond her role as First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings made her own mark in partisan politics.
In 2011, she contested the flagbearership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against the late President John Evans Atta Mills — a move that underscored her independent political ambition and courage.
After losing that contest, she founded the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 2012, becoming its first flagbearer.
Though her presidential bids in 2012 and 2016 were unsuccessful, her participation broke new ground for women in Ghanaian politics, inspiring a generation of female leaders to aspire to the highest offices in the land.
Legacy and family
Throughout her life, Nana Konadu was known for her assertive personality, elegant demeanour, and unwavering belief in Ghana’s potential for social justice and equity.
She was married to Jerry John Rawlings for over four decades until his death in November 2020.
Together, they had four children, including Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey.
Her death marks the end of an era — the passing of a woman whose life was intertwined with Ghana’s political evolution from military rule to democracy.
Tributes continue to pour in from across the political divide, acknowledging her as a visionary who shaped not only the role of women in public life but also the conscience of a nation in transition.
Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in the coming days.
