This is to the woman who stood tall when others bowed.

The one who fought through storms and silence to defend the girl child and everything she held close to her heart. She gave up the comfort of her design studio and stepped into the rough world of politics, not for fame or power, but because she carried a burning dream to help shape the Ghana she longed to see.

Nana Konadu, a woman of steel, courage, and unmatched grace. A figure so full of fire that she could light hope in the hearts of women who had forgotten they could shine.

The 31st December Women’s Movement was not just another organisation; it was a revolution of hearts, a gathering of like-minded women determined to rewrite Ghana’s story. The girl child was her sacred mission- empowerment, her battle cry. She fought tirelessly to see women stand tall.

She did not stop there. She made history as the first woman ever to contest for the presidency of Ghana in 2016, after forming her own political party, the National Democratic Party.
What courage that took! She walked where no woman had walked before, so others like me could follow freely.

And oh, what a mother she was; fierce yet tender. I still remember her words: Whether I am a First Lady or an ordinary citizen, I will defend my children any day when I know they are right. But if they do wrong, I will deal with them. That was Nana Konadu, strong, honest, and deeply protective. A mother in the truest African sense of the word.

She was always elegant and radiant with her colourful fabrics and her famous gele that crowned her like a queen. She walked into every space with grace, turning heads not just with beauty, but also with her presence and purpose.

Her bond with her husband was something rare, the kind that made people wonder how she would live without him after his demise in 2020. Yet, she carried on with quiet strength and dignity.

I remember her not just from afar. I was once a pupil at the 31st December Daycare in Takoradi.

A small girl with big dreams, finding my feet in a place she built for us. I remember seeing her for the first time on the day I graduated from kindergarten. That moment stayed with me - the image of a woman who looked like everything I wanted to be.

She was not the kind of woman who let tradition hold her back. She believed women could cook, care, lead, and conquer all at once. She taught us that being a woman was never a limitation.
Today, I celebrate her! For her resilience, her boldness and unshakable faith. For showing us that no dream is too far or big when the girl child decides to rise.

Though the year 2025 has tested our hearts, taking from us great sons and daughters of Ghana, we still smile through the tears, grateful that God blessed us with a woman whose life became a lesson, whose example silences every excuse to remain behind borders and boundaries.

For walking so we could run, I say “thank you, Nana”. Rest well, Mama. You worked hard. You gave your all, and the girl child of Ghana is proud to call you her own.
Edwumapa gya owura kwan!
Da yie, Nana.
Rest in Perfect Peace.

By: Elizabeth Owusu Asiamah, PhD