A memorial mass will be held next week to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, former First Lady and Founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement.
The event will take place at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka on Friday October 23, 2026, the family announced in a statement.
“The Mass will commence promptly at 10am and will end by midday. The attire is either white or black and white,” the statement added.
The members of the public have been invited by the family to join them in a solemn remembrance of a mother, grandmother, auntie, distinguished gender advocate and the woman who changed the role of First Ladies in Ghana, ensuring that they became a positive influence on our communities.
Nana Konadu passed away on Thursday October 23, 2025. As First Lady from 1981 to 2001, she was politically active, a leading advocate on women’s empowerment, gender issues, grassroots development and poverty alleviation.
During the creation of the district assemblies in the 1980s, and throughout her political activism, Nana Konadu encouraged Ghanaian women to get involved in the politics of running their communities, thereby paving the way for the vast number of women we see in active politics, industry and leadership positions today.
Her NGO, the 31st December Women’s Movement, constructed over one thousand early childhood development centres in Ghana through funding from the donor community, international organisations and also through the initiative of local communities. These early childhood development centres have contributed greatly in reducing the poverty cycle in Ghana by creating equal access to pre-school education for rural and urban poor communities.
The late former First Lady was a major driving force in the establishment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC); was elected as Vice-Chairperson in 2010 and contested but lost the flagbearership in 2011.
In 2012, she founded the National Democratic Party (NDP) and became the first female Presidential Aspirant in the history of Ghana who contested as
Presidential Candidate on the ticket of the NDP during the 2016 presidential elections.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings’ legacy is profound. She played a pivotal role during the Beijing Conference – United Nations World Conference on Women in 1995; took a leading role in regional peace initiatives involving First Ladies in West Africa and in Africa and most significantly, her determined quest to protect the rights of women and children in Ghana, led to the promulgation of PNDC Laws 111, 112, 113, 114, 115 and Article 28(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana which is also reflected in The Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560).
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings will be remembered for: Standing firm in her convictions;
Serving her nation with distinction; and for leaving an indelible mark on the history of Ghana.
“The legacy of our dear First Lady will be highly upheld and continue to resonate among women and children in Ghana and abroad for future generations,” the family underscored.
