Life and Times of Ghana’s Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings

By Eric Elezuo

The curtains fell on one of Ghana’s most politically savvy individuals, Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, on October 23, 2025, when she bowed to the cold hands of death, at the age of 76.

Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings was not only well tutored in the act of politics, but was also a former First Lady, married to one of Ghana’s respected presidents, John Jerry Rawlings, who died in November, 2020. Her trajectory in the political terrain gave her the superwoman status as her fierce approach and fearlessly in the field ensured that she was never a push away.

In addition, being married to Jerry Rawlings gave her added impetus and wisdom in the political circle, a situation she maximized to the advantage of the people of Ghana. Though she never the election to become president, she consistently kept the ruling on their toes with her constructive opposition as both as a party founder, and a former presidential candidate.

She was born on November 17, 1948 to the late J.O.T. Agyeman and his wife in Cape Coast, Central region of Ghana, and had her early education Ghana International School, ans proceeded to Achimota School before moving to the University of Science and Technology where she read Art, specializing in Textiles, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. At school, she was politically vibrant, becoming a student leader of her hall of residence, Africa Hall.

Nana Konadu also earned an Interior Design Diploma from the London College of Arts in 1975, as well as 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 in 1991.

In her quest for more knowledge, she enrolled at Johns Hopkins University Maryland, USA in 1994, obtaining a Senior Fellow Diploma in Policy Studies and Non-Profit Sector of Economic Development among others.

Prior to her further academic pursuit, Nana Konadu worked at Ghana Tourist Board Accra, Ghana in 1973.

Between 1974 – 1980, she worked at Union Trading Company in Accra, before proceeding to Nanali Africarts Accra where she worked between 1980- 1984.

It is documented that within the period under review, she set up the much talked about 31st December Women’s Movement in Accra, an NGO focused on women empowerment.

Earlier in 1977, Nana Konadu had married an Airforce Officer, Jerry John Rawlings, whom she met during her at Achimota, and with whom she weathered the storm of life and politics till he died in 2020, and they both had four children; Ezenator Rawlings, Yaa Asantewaa, Amina and Kimathi.

During her days as Rawlings’ wife, she was First Lady of Ghana from June 4, 1979 to September 24, 1979, when Rawlings servered briefly aa a military head of state. They returned to office December 31, 1981 following a military coup, and ruled till 1992 when Rawlings was elected as a civilian president. They finally stepped aside from government on January 7, 2001 after serving two terms of four years.

She upped her game in 2016, becoming the first woman to run for President of Ghana under her own formed political party, National Democratic Party, after falling out with the National Democratic Congress. Though she was unsuccessful, she however, made a loud statement of the arrival of women in Ghana’s political frontier. Today, the vice president of Ghana is a woman.

In 2018, she published her book titled It Takes a Woman

Among the positions she held were the presidency of the 31st December Women’s Movement in 1982, elected First Vice Chairperson of the NDC in 2009 and later in 2011, she unsuccessfully challenged President John Atta Mills for the party’s presidential candidate position for election 2012, leading to the formation of her own party, the NDP. She made a second attempt at the Ghana presidency in 2020 having submitted her documents. But the her husband died in November of the same year, just a month to the election. Though she did not withdraw her participation, she however lost steam in the buildup to the election.

HER EMBRACE WITH WOMEN EMANCIPATION AND INCLUSIVENESS

As captured by Wikipedia, in a statement released by the Embassy of Ghana, the former First Lady stated: “My desire is to see the emancipation of women at every level of development to enable them to contribute and benefit from the socio-economic and political progress of the country… Women’s vital role of promoting peace in the family, the country and the world at large must be acknowledged. And to do this, they must be empowered politically to equip them adequately for the challenges of critically identifying and assessing solutions for the betterment of society.”This was the goal of 31 December Women’s Movement of which Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings was president. She described it as a “broad based development oriented Non-Governmental Organisation that aspires to achieve these objectives through the effective mobilisation of women.”

In addition, her movement – two million strong—has set up more than 870 pre-schools in Ghana and has worked actively to stir up interest for the accomplishment of child development and family planning.

Agyeman Rawlings said that she would continue to work in the women’s movement even if her husband were no longer president. Her husband led a military coup that seized power in 1981, although he was not established as head of state until the following year. The country successfully reverted to civilian rule in 1992 and held free elections. Calling the first lady “an instrumental part of the revolution in Ghana’s economy,” the Baltimore Afro-American reported that women were Ghana’s largest labor force, and they wanted to be a central part of the country’s redevelopment.

“Before December 31, 1981, they had no power of influence in law or politics–even the laws that pertained to them.” It was a grassroots movement, with women selling their land, clothes, and jewelry to get money.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings will be remembered as prolific politician and accomplished businesswoman, whose interest rest majorly in the empowerment and emancipation of women.

May her soul rest in perfect peace!