Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has died at age 76 at Ridge Hospital in Accra on Thursday, October 23, 2025, plunging Ghana into mourning for one of its most influential political and social figures.
Born on November 17, 1948, in Cape Coast, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was the widow of former President Jerry John Rawlings and Ghana’s longest-serving First Lady, holding the position from June to September 1979 and again from December 1981 to January 2001. The cause of her death has not been officially disclosed, though she had been receiving medical treatment for a prolonged illness.
She is survived by four children: Zanetor Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Korley Klottey, Kimathi Rawlings, Yaa Asantewaa Rawlings, and Amina Rawlings. Her husband, former President Rawlings, died in November 2020.
As First Lady, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement, which became one of Ghana’s most influential organizations promoting women’s rights, child welfare, and grassroots development. She transformed the position from a ceremonial role into one of active advocacy, championing social reform, women’s empowerment, and child welfare.
Beyond her work as First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings pursued an active political career. In 2016, she became the first woman to run for President of Ghana, representing the National Democratic Party which she founded after leaving the National Democratic Congress. She contested again in the 2020 elections.
In 2018, she launched her book titled “It Takes a Woman,” which chronicled her advocacy for women’s empowerment. She attended Ghana International School and later Achimota School, where she met her future husband, before studying art and textiles at what is now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Her last public appearances included attending a funeral service on October 9, 2025, where she was seen alongside former President John Agyekum Kufuor. The news of her passing has prompted widespread mourning across Ghana as the nation remembers her decades of service and advocacy.
