Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings Passes On
Ghana is mourning the passing of its longest-serving First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, who died on Thursday morning, October 23, 2025, in Accra. She was 76 years old.
Born on November 17, 1948, Nana Konadu was the wife of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings and a prominent figure in Ghana’s political and social landscape for decades.
According to reports she died at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), where she had been receiving medical care.
About Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings
Her tenure as First Lady remains unmatched, spanning multiple political eras—from the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) in 1979 to the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) from 1981 to 1993, and later as Ghana’s civilian First Lady from 1993 to 2001 during her husband’s two presidential terms.
Born in Cape Coast in the Central Region, Nana Konadu received her early education at Ghana International School and Achimota School, where she met Jerry John Rawlings. She later attended the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), studying Art and Textiles and serving as a student leader at Africa Hall.
Her pursuit of education continued abroad and locally. She obtained a diploma in Interior Design from the London College of Arts in 1975, a diploma in Advanced Personnel Management from the Management Development and Productivity Institute in 1979, and a certificate in Development from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 1991.
She also took advanced courses at Johns Hopkins University and the Institute for Policy Studies in Baltimore, USA, earning recognition for her work in philanthropy and non-profit development.
In 1982, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement, which became one of the most influential women’s empowerment organisations in Ghana, championing women’s rights, education, and entrepreneurship.
Nana Konadu made history in 2016 when she became the first woman to contest for the presidency of Ghana. Two years later, in 2018, she released her memoir titled “It Takes a Woman,” reflecting on her life, leadership, and advocacy.
Within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), she rose to become the party’s First Vice Chairperson in 2009. In 2011, she contested then-President John Evans Atta Mills for the NDC’s presidential nomination but was unsuccessful.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings leaves behind a powerful legacy as a political pioneer, a women’s rights advocate, and one of Ghana’s most influential public figures.
Story by Adwoa S. Danso
