Breaking News: Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings passes away aged 77

Former First Lady of Ghana, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, has reportedly passed away at the age of 77.

Although an official statement from the family is yet to be issued, multiple reports suggest that she died in the early hours of Thursday, 23 October 2025, at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.

Born on 17 November 1948 in Cape Coast, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was a towering figure in Ghanaian politics and a lifelong advocate for women’s empowerment. As the wife of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, she served as Ghana’s First Lady first in 1979 and later from 1981 to 2001, during which she transformed the traditionally ceremonial role into a platform for social and political advocacy.

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In 1982, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement, one of the most influential women’s organisations in Ghana’s history. The movement, which grew to over two million members nationwide, established more than 870 preschools and advanced initiatives in literacy, healthcare, and women’s economic empowerment. Her work reshaped the national discourse on gender equality and inspired generations of Ghanaian women to take leadership roles in public life.

Her political influence extended beyond her tenure as First Lady. In 2011, she made history by challenging then President John Atta Mills for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential nomination, marking a defining moment in Ghana’s political landscape. She later founded the National Democratic Party (NDP) and became the first woman to contest the presidency in 2016.

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Since the passing of her husband in November 2020, Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings remained active in national affairs, most recently appearing in August 2025 to lay a wreath in honour of victims of the military helicopter crash.

She is survived by her four children, Zanetor, Yaa Asantewaa, Amina and Kimathi Rawlings.