National Communications Team Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Christine Ansong, has paid tribute to the late former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, describing her as “an institution in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.”

According to Ms. Ansong, the passing of the former First Lady marks the loss of one of Ghana’s most formidable voices in women’s empowerment and national development.

“She was a matriarch and a torchbearer who ensured that women and young girls got the necessary push.

When the country was at its lowest, she sought to empower women and I admired her deeply,” Ms Ansong, who is the Deputy CEO of Ghana Digital Centres Limited said.

Ms. Ansong noted that Nana Konadu’s contributions to Ghana’s development were immense, particularly through her leadership of the 31st December Women’s Movement.

“Her movement changed lives. It created opportunities for countless women and gave them the confidence to participate in nation-building. Her fearlessness inspired me and many other women across the country,” she added.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, wife of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, passed away in Accra on October 23.

Her death has drawn tributes from across the political divide, with President John Mahama and Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang among the many dignitaries mourning her.

A pioneering advocate for women’s rights, Nana Konadu played a defining role in shaping Ghana’s social and political landscape. As founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement, she championed economic empowerment for rural women and campaigned for constitutional recognition of women’s rights in the 1992 Constitution.

Her political journey was equally groundbreaking. She served as the First Lady from 1981 to 2001 and later became the first woman to run for president in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, standing as the flagbearer of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 2016.

Tributes continue to pour in for the late former First Lady, celebrated as a visionary, reformer, and advocate who dedicated her life to advancing women’s participation in leadership and public life.