hajia zuwera ibrahimah pays tribute to late nana konadu agyeman rawlings
The Member of Parliament for Salaga South and Vice Chairperson of Parliament’s Gender, Children and Social Welfare Committee, Hajia Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, has paid a moving tribute to the late former First Lady, Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, describing her as “a woman of courage, vision, and unrelenting commitment to the empowerment of women and children.”
Delivering her statement on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, on the floor of Parliament, Hajia Zuwera celebrated the remarkable life and legacy of the former First Lady, who passed away on October 23, 2025. She expressed profound gratitude for Nana Konadu’s lifelong dedication to advancing women’s rights, education, and national development.
“She was a remarkable woman whose life embodied courage, vision, and an unrelenting commitment to the empowerment of women and children.”
She highlighted how Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, born on November 17, 1948, in Cape Coast, rose to prominence not only as Ghana’s longest-serving First Lady but as a trailblazer for women’s leadership. Her passion for education and equality, nurtured during her years at Achimota School, laid the foundation for her advocacy in empowering women across the country. It was there she met Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, her lifelong partner, with whom she shared nearly five decades of marriage and public service.
Recounting her impact, Hajia Zuwera reflected on the founding of the 31st December Women’s Movement in 1982, which became a powerful vehicle for women’s empowerment. Through this initiative, Nana Konadu mobilized women across Ghana, established over 870 daycare centres, and promoted literacy, micro-credit, and small-scale enterprises for rural women.
“Her vision was both radical and practical. She recognized that without the full participation of women, Ghana’s largest labour force sustainable national development would remain out of reach.”
Nana Konadu’s advocacy also extended to sensitive issues, as she courageously campaigned against child marriage, trokosi, and female genital mutilation, and was instrumental in key legal reforms such as the Intestate Succession Law of 1989 and gender equality provisions in the 1992 Constitution.
Her leadership on the global stage was equally impactful, especially at the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women, where she declared that African women “must be present where power is exercised.”
In 2016, Nana Konadu made history as Ghana’s first female presidential candidate, a milestone Hajia Zuwera said would “inspire generations of young women to envision themselves as leaders.”
Hajia Zuwera emphasized that Nana Konadu’s legacy should not remain a relic of history but a living mission for women’s advancement and equality.
“Her legacy must not remain a monument of the past but a living mandate for the future, we must ensure more women are represented in leadership, pass laws that economically empower women, and challenge all forms of discrimination that limit their potential.”
Concluding her tribute, she extended heartfelt condolences to the Rawlings family, “Your mother was not only a mother to you but a mother to a nation. Her strength and compassion live on through you.” ending with one of Nana Konadu’s most cherished quotes:
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, and may we raise them.”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
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