Facts About the Late Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings
- Ghana's former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has died at age 76 at Ridge Hospital in Accra
- She was a pioneering gender activist and founder of the 31 December Women’s Movement in 1984
- Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings made history as the first woman to contest a sitting president for the NDC flagbearership in 2011
Ghana's former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, has passed away at 76.
The politician and gender activist reportedly died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, otherwuse known as the Ridge Hospital.
Source: Facebook
She was the widow of Ghana's late former president, Jerry John Rawlings
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings’ Political Activism
Although an Ashanti by tribe, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was born in Cape Coast in the Central Region to the late J.O.T. Agyeman and his wife.
She is widely regarded as a pioneer of women's empowerment and activism in Ghana, establishing the 31 December Women’s Movement in 1984.
Through this movement, the late former Ghanaian First Lady promoted women's participation in business, politics, and community development.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings married Jerry John Rawlings, who was then an officer of the Ghana Air Force, in 1977.
The couple have four children, Dr Zanetor, Yaa Asantewaa, Amina and Kimathi.
She is Ghana's longest serving first lady, from June 4, 1979, to September 24, 1979 and from December 31, 1981, to January 7, 2001.
As a prominent member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a party founded by her husband, she was elected in 2009 as the first female vice-chairperson of the NDC.
In 2011, she made history as the first Ghanaian woman to challenge a sitting president, the late John Evans Atta Mills, for the NDC’s flagbearer position at a delegate congress held in Sunyani.
Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings, however, lost the flagbearer race by a wide margin.
Having lost the presidential primary, she later left the NDC to form the National Democratic Party (NDP), using the same logo and colours as her former party.
She contested the 2016 presidential elections, becoming the first woman in Ghana to contest for the presidency, but failed to make any significant inroads.
In 2020, she also attempted to contest for the presidency for the second time, but ended her campaign prematurely after the death of her husband.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings’ Educational Background
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings is an alumnus of Achimota School in Accra, where she first met Jerry John Rawlings, who was also a student.
After completing her secondary education, she enrolled at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, specialising in Textiles.
She later enrolled at the London College of Arts to pursue a diploma in Interior Design.
In addition to this, she acquired a diploma in Advanced Personnel Management from Ghana’s Management Development and Productivity Institute in 1979 and a certificate in Development from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 1991.
In 1994, she also enrolled at Johns Hopkins University in the US to pursue a Senior Fellow Diploma in Policy Studies.
Source: Instagram
Zanetor, Kimathi Rawlings devastated over mother’s death
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that Children of the late Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings appeared heartbroken as they visited the Jubilee House to officially inform the President of their mother’s death.
Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings was visibly grief-stricken as she walked arm-in-arm with an elderly relative, while her brother Kimathi Rawlings also looked downcast.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings reportedly died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra on October 23, 2025, after she was transported there following a short illness.
Source: YEN.com.gh
