Ghana has lost one of its most iconic figures. Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has passed away at the Ridge Hospital in Accra at the age of 76. Her death brings the curtain down on a remarkable life of leadership, activism, and courage that shaped the course of Ghana’s political and social evolution.

Nana Konadu was not only the wife of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings but also Ghana’s longest-serving First Lady, a title earned through two decades of service that spanned both military and democratic governments. She first served briefly under the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) in 1979, then from 1981 to 2001 during the PNDC era and the Fourth Republic.

Educated at Achimota School and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where she studied Art and Textiles, Nana Konadu went on to pursue advanced studies at the London College of Arts and GIMPA. Her academic and social drive reflected a woman determined to use knowledge as a tool for empowerment.

Her legacy is most strongly tied to the 31st December Women’s Movement, which she founded in 1982. Through it, she mobilised millions of Ghanaian women, helping them access education, economic opportunities, and leadership roles in their communities. The movement’s initiatives established preschools, literacy programmes, and small-scale enterprises that improved lives in both rural and urban Ghana.

Nana Konadu’s advocacy also reached the legal and policy level. She championed landmark reforms, including the Intestate Succession Law (PNDCL 111), which safeguarded widows and children from unfair inheritance practices. Her leadership helped Ghana become the first country to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.

In politics, she stood tall among men. After years within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), she broke away in 2012 to form the National Democratic Party (NDP), showing her fearless independence. Four years later, she made history as the first woman to contest the presidency of Ghana a bold move that inspired countless young women to aim higher.

In 2018, she authored It Takes a Woman, a powerful 331-page memoir that chronicled her journey from childhood through her years of public service and activism.

To many, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings embodied resilience and conviction. She fought tirelessly for women’s empowerment, national progress, and fairness in governance. Her passing is not only a loss to her family but to an entire generation of Ghanaians who drew strength from her unyielding spirit.

She leaves behind a towering legacy one of courage, reform, and a lifelong belief that women can lead and change the world.