ACCRA, Ghana — Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Ghana’s former First Lady and a pioneering advocate for women’s rights, has died at age 76 following a brief illness.
She was the wife of Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s longest-serving head of state, who led two coups before winning two presidential terms through democratic elections. Agyeman-Rawlings was widely regarded as one of his closest advisers and a formidable political figure in her own right.
Born in Cape Coast in November 1948, she attended Achimota School in Accra, where she met her future husband. She later earned a degree in art and textiles and went on to champion women’s empowerment across Ghana.
As First Lady, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement, which focused on economic and community development for women. Her advocacy helped shape national policy, including inheritance rights for women and children and gender equality provisions in the 1992 constitution.
She remained politically active after her husband’s presidency, serving as vice-chairperson of the National Democratic Congress and later founding the National Democratic Party. In 2016, she became the first woman to run for president in Ghana.
She and Rawlings had four children, including a daughter who currently serves in parliament.
Tributes have poured in from across the country. President John Mahama described her passing as “a great loss to Ghana and to generations of women inspired by her legacy,” and led a moment of silence in her honor during a public ceremony. The Majority Caucus in Parliament called her “a towering figure in Ghanaian politics and women’s empowerment,” and praised her “dedication to national development and democratic reform.”
Civil society groups and international observers have also recognized her legacy, with many hailing her as a trailblazer who reshaped the role of women in Ghanaian public life.
Parliament adjourned in her memory, and preparations are underway for a national mourning period. She is remembered as a bold reformer whose influence extended far beyond her role as First Lady.
