Former President John Mahama says the late Ama Ata Aidoo encouraged him to write again after his first book.

Speaking at the funeral service of the writer and author, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) shared some remarkable memories of her and commended her role in the empowerment of women.

“She is one of our most prolific writers, we have all known her as kids growing up, my closest encounter with her was when I published ‘My First Coup d’état’ book."

"She came for the launch and encouraged me to write again, but I have not been able to do so.”

“I was very sad at her passing...she was a very strong character and stood for women’s rights,” Mr Mahama stated.

Ama Ata Aidoo passed away on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, aged 81.

The author, playwright and poet served as Ghana’s Education Minister under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in 1982.

She resigned after 18 months after realising that she would be unable to achieve her aim of making education in Ghana freely accessible to all.

One of her well-known books that was studied at Senior High Schools was “No sweetness here”.