Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and CEO of the Atta-Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho, has paid glowing tribute to the late former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, describing her as one of Ghana’s most impactful women in history.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem following her passing, Mr. Anyidoho reflected on the remarkable legacy of the 31st December Women’s Movement, led by Nana Konadu, which he said transformed women’s lives across Ghana.
“Growing up in 1979 as a schoolboy in Burma Camp, I saw various forms of free education from the time of Nkrumah,” he said.
“But when you look at Madam, the 31st December Women, and what they brought to the base, the daycare centres at markets for women, the quality care given to children, it was massive. If they want to gather as the 31st December children for an event, it will be huge.”
He highlighted how the movement championed girl-child education, fought against female genital mutilation, and trained traditional birth attendants to improve maternal care.
According to him, “If we see the impressive strides females are making today, it is because a former First Lady pushed through the 31st December Women’s Movement.”
Mr. Anyidoho added that Nana Konadu’s local initiatives were as powerful as her international advocacy, including her influential role at the Beijing Conference on Women.
Reflecting on the timing of her death, he shared a personal note: “As I sat in the house on Thursday, I said, ‘God, now I understand why you made me eulogise Nana Konadu this year. Incidentally, she would have been 77 on November 17. I buried my daughter on that same date five years ago after she passed on November 7, and President Rawlings also died on November 12.”
He described her as Ghana’s longest-serving First Lady, noting that “unless history changes drastically, nobody can take that away from her.”
“31st December Women was an essential wing of the governance structure of the Rawlings regime,” he said. “She has been very impactful, and her legacy will continue to inspire generations of women.”
Nana Konadu passed on Thursday, October 23, at the Ridge Hospital after a short illness. She was 77 years old.
Source: Gertrude Otchere
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