President John Dramani Mahama has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Ghana’s former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.
A delegation made up of her children and other family members visited the President at the Jubilee House on Thursday, October 23, 2025, to officially inform him of her death.
During the swearing-in of 37 new High Court judges later, President Mahama called for a moment of silence in her memory, describing her as a remarkable woman who made a lasting impact on Ghana.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings died at the age of 76 at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
Born on November 17, 1948, in Cape Coast, she attended Ghana International School and Achimota School, where she met her future husband, the late former President Jerry John Rawlings. She later studied Art and Textiles at the University of Science and Technology (now KNUST) and earned a diploma in Interior Design from the London College of Arts.
As First Lady, she founded the 31st December Women’s Movement in 1982, which empowered millions of Ghanaian women through education, training, and community development.
She also played an important role in promoting gender equality and social justice, helping to advance laws that protected the rights of women and children.
In 2016, she made history as the first woman to contest the presidency of Ghana on the ticket of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which she founded after leaving the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
President Mahama prayed for her peaceful rest, saying her contributions to national development and women’s empowerment will never be forgotten.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com