Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Ghana’s former first lady, has passed away.
Felix Ofosu, presidential spokesperson, said
Agyeman-Rawlings died on Thursday morning after a short illness. She was 76.
Agyeman-Rawlings was married to Jerry Rawlings, Ghana’s
longest-serving leader. This also made her the country’s longest-serving first
lady.
Rawlings died in 2020 after leading two coups and later
served as an elected president. He presided over Ghana for 19 years.
The former first lady’s family visited President John Mahama
earlier on Thursday to officially notify him of her death.
Mahama leads the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party,
founded by Rawlings after he took power.
Agyeman-Rawlings nursed political ambitions and was the
NDC’s first vice-chairperson in 2009.
She lost her bid to become the party’s presidential
candidate in 2011 and formed the National Democratic Party (NDP).
In 2016, she became the first woman to run for president of
Ghana as her party’s flag bearer. She was nicknamed “The Hillary Clinton” of
Africa for her bold attempt.
Agyeman-Rawlings lost the contest, securing less than one
percent of the votes cast.
The former first lady was also an outspoken women’s rights
advocate.
She spearheaded legal changes, including the adoption of a
law which improved the inheritance rights of widows and children.
Through her efforts, Ghana became the first nation in the
world to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC) in 1990.
Ghana’s parliament has adjourned in honour of
Agyeman-Rawlings as the country prepares to officially mourn the iconic
political figure celebrated for empowering millions of women.
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