Former First Lady of Ghana, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, has reportedly passed away after a period of illness. She was 76 years old. Reports indicate that she had been under close medical supervision prior to her passing, though her family and the attending hospital have not yet released an official statement.
A Life of Leadership and Transformation
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was born on November 17, 1948, in Cape Coast, into a prominent Ashanti royal family. She attended Achimota School, where she met her future husband, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s longest-serving Head of State. The couple married and had four children.
She pursued higher education in Art and Textiles at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (then University of Science and Technology) and later earned a diploma in Interior Design from the London College of Arts. She also trained at Ghana’s Management Development and Productivity Institute, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, and the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies in Baltimore, USA.
Trailblazer for Women’s Empowerment
Serving as Ghana’s First Lady from 1981 to 2001, Nana Konadu became a defining figure in the nation’s political and social landscape. In 1982, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM), a powerful organization that revolutionized women’s participation in national development. The movement established over 870 preschools nationwide and provided training in entrepreneurship, literacy, and income generation for women, especially in rural areas.
Under her leadership, the DWM championed the passage of the 1985 Intestate Succession Law, safeguarding the rights of widows and children. Her activism earned her both admiration and criticism for her forthrightness and influence, but history remembers her as a vocal advocate for women’s equality and justice.
Political Journey and Later Life
After her husband left office in 2001, Nana Konadu continued her political pursuits, serving as Vice Chairperson of the National Democratic Congress until 2011, when she resigned to form the National Democratic Party (NDP). In 2016, she made history as the first woman to run for the presidency of Ghana, asserting her lifelong commitment to leadership and reform.
In 2018, she published her book It Takes a Woman, reflecting on her life experiences and contributions to national transformation. Her last public appearance was on August 13, 2025, when she joined her children to lay wreaths at the Ceremonial Garden of Jubilee House in memory of public servants who perished in a helicopter crash.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings leaves behind an enduring legacy of courage, empowerment, and service — a life devoted to lifting women and reshaping Ghana’s democratic and social landscape.
