Ghana’s longest-serving head of state and first President of the Fourth Republic Jerry John Rawlings died yesterday morning at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra at age 73.
He was said to have died at the intensive care unit of the premier hospital after some heart-related complications.
The founder of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was last seen in public on October 19, 2020 during the final funeral rites leading to the burial of his mother, Victoria Agbotui who died at age 101.
In statement issued to console the bereaved family, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stated that “A great tree has fallen, and Ghana is poorer for this loss”.
He conveyed deep sympathies of Government and the people of Ghana to his wife, the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the children, and family of the late President, in these difficult times.
“I have directed that all national flags should fly at half-mast for the next seven (7) days in all parts of the country, and have declared seven days of national mourning from Friday, 13th November to Friday, 20th November.
“In honour of the memory of former President Rawlings, the Vice President and I have suspended our political campaigns for same period”, President Akufo-Addo stated.
Read the full statement of President Akufo-Addo below:
PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO ANNOUNCES THE DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS
It is with great sadness that I announce to the nation that the 1st President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, has joined his ancestors.
This tragic event occurred at 10:10am on Thursday, 12th November 2020, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where the former President was receiving treatment, after a short illness.
I convey the deep sympathies of Government and the people of Ghana to his wife, the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the children, and family of the late President, in these difficult times.
I have directed that all national flags should fly at half-mast for the next seven (7) days in all parts of the country, and have declared seven days of national mourning from Friday, 13th November to Friday, 20th November.
In honour of the memory of former President Rawlings, the Vice President and I have suspended our political campaigns for same period.
Government will work closely with the family of President Rawlings on the arrangements for a fitting State Funeral for the late President, and will keep the nation informed accordingly.
A great tree has fallen, and Ghana is poorer for this loss.
May his soul rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty until the Last Day of the Resurrection when we shall meet again. Amen!
Signed
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President of the Republic
About Rawlings
A military ruler, who later joined politics, Rawlings ruled Ghana from 1981 to 2001.
He led the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected president of Ghana.
A flight lieutenant of the Ghanaian Air Force, Rawlings first attempted to stage military coup as a young revolutionary on May 15, 1979, five weeks before scheduled elections to return the country to civilian rule.
When it failed, he was imprisoned, publicly court-martialled and sentenced to death.
However, he was rescued from prison by his loyalists on June 4, 1979 after which he led the June 4 Revolution before handing over power to elected President Dr Hilla Limann in September 1979.
After initially handing power over to a civilian government, he took back control of the country on 31 December 1981 as the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
He then resigned from the military, founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and became the first president of the Fourth Republic.
President Rawlings was re-elected in 1996 for four more years.
After two terms in office, the limit according to the Ghanaian constitution, Rawlings endorsed his vice-president John Atta Mills as presidential candidate in 2000.
Awards & Duties
In November 2000, Rawlings was named the first International Year of Volunteers 2001 Eminent Person by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, attending various events and conferences to promote volunteerism.
In October 2010, Rawlings was named African Union envoy to Somalia. He gave lectures at universities, including Oxford University.
In October 2013 he was awarded an honorary degree (Doctorate of Letters) from the University for Development Studies (UDS) in northern Ghana. The award recognised Rawlings’ contribution to the establishment of the University. In 1993, he used his US$50,000 Hunger Project cash prize as seed money to sponsor the establishment of the state-owned university (founded in May 1992), the first of its kind in the three northern regions.
He also received the Global Champion for People’s Freedom award by the Mkiva Humanitarian Foundation in October 2013
In July 2019, he went on a three-day working trip to Burkina Faso in the capacity of Chairman of the Thomas Sankara Memorial Committee.
In September 2019, he paid a tribute on behalf of the president and people of Ghana, when he led a delegation to the funeral of Robert Mugabe, the late former president of Zimbabwe.
