By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was on Friday, November 28, laid to rest after a solemn state funeral at the Black Star Square in Accra, where thousands of mourners and national leaders gathered to pay their final respects.
The procession, after the state funeral, moved from the Black Star Square to the Chardo Military Cemetery, at Teshie near the national capital, where Mrs. Agyeman-Rawlings was finally laid to rest.
She was buried near the grave of former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a symbolic placement that underscores her stature as one of Ghana’s most distinguished public figures.
Mrs. Rawlings, wife of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, 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).
She continued in the role during her husband’s two constitutional terms from January 7, 1993, to January 6, 2001.
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).
Owing to disagreement between her and the party founded by her husband, Mrs. Rawlings, in June 2012, split from the NDC and formed the National Democratic Party (NDP).
The Electoral Commission (EC) subsequently disqualified her and 11 other presidential candidates for failing to meet requirements before the September 30 deadline to file nomination documents. She, however, did not abandon her dream of leading this country and contested again in 2016 on the ticket of the NDP.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings passed away on October 23, 2025, at age 76 at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, or Ridge Hospital, in Accra after a brief illness. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
Share Us
