By Desire Emmanuel, with Agency Reports
Former First Lady of Ghana and wife of Jerry Rawlings, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, has died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, sources close to the family told the country’s media in the country.
Nana Konadu, who died at the age of 76, was Ghana’s longest-serving First Lady, holding the position across both military and civilian administrations led by her husband.
She served from June 4, 1979, to September 24, 1979, under the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), and again from December 31, 1981, to January 6, 1993, under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
Beyond her role as First Lady, Nana Konadu was a pioneer in women’s empowerment and political activism, founding the 31st December Women’s Movement and later the National Democratic Party (NDP).
In June 2012, she split from the NDC and formed the National Democratic Party (NDP). The Electoral Commission subsequently disqualified her and 11 other presidential candidates for failing to meet requirements before the September 30 deadline to file nomination documents.
She contested again in 2016 on the ticket of the NDP.
In November 2018, she launched her first book, It Takes a Woman, a 331-page biography chronicling her journey from her youth in 1948 through to her years in political and social advocacy.
The book was the first of four volumes she intended to publish, offering “deep insights into her political activism and experiences.”
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings made history in 2016 as the first woman to contest the presidency of Ghana, cementing her legacy as one of the most influential figures in the nation’s political and social landscape.
