The Sawyerr family on Thursday morning held a private burial service for Esther Victoria Sawyerr, the mother of Dr Valerie Esther Sawyerr, a Senior Policy Adviser to former President John Mahama and a Deputy Chief of Staff to late President John Atta Mills.

Mrs Sawyerr is the mother of Dr Angela El-Adas, a medical doctor and former Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission as well as Olive Yeboah of the Ghana Commercial Bank.

She was the widow of an astute politician, Harry Sawyerr, who served as Transport, Communications and Education Minister in the Liman and the Rawlings administrations respectively.

Popularly known as Aunty Esther, family members say she died peacefully in her sleep on April 28, seven years after her husband’s demise.

In line with President Akufo-Addo's directive which bans social gatherings including funerals in a move to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the family will hold a private burial service.

Since the directive allows private burial to be held with no more than 25 people, the family will bid Aunty Esther goodbye this morning.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the family has urged all those attending the funeral to wear their face masks and observe the health and safety protocols that will be in place at her residence.