Former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings is dead.
He died at the age of 73.
Reports from Ghana say that the former president died at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital, Accra, after a short illness.
He was the head of a military junta until introducing multi-party elections in 1992, when he was first elected president. He stepped down in 2001 after serving two terms.
The charismatic figure was known as a champion of the poor and began his time in power as a committed socialist.
Born on June 22, 1947, Rawlings was the first President of the Fourth Republic and was re-elected in 1996 for another four years.
He was credited for introducing free-market reforms that ushered in a long period of political stability in Ghana till today.
