The death of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings at the age of 76 ends a long and turbulent era in Ghana’s politics and political development.
Her death comes five years after her husband died, on November 12, 2020.
I was privileged to know Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. She graciously granted me a lengthy interview in August 2022 on the topic of the role of women in Ghana’s politics and development. In 2024, I met Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings briefly at the Alisa Hotel, where she was taking afternoon tea with several of her friends. She was once again gracious and charming.
Information from my interview with Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings is included in my book, Revolution and Democracy in Ghana: The Politics of Jerry Rawlings (Sakumono: Digibooks Publishing, 2024). In Chapter 6, ‘Return of multi-party democracy’, I examined the role of the 31st December Women’s Movement in the PNDC era and later.
Impact
As founder and President of the 31st December Women’s Movement, evidence of her achievements and the impact on the masses, particularly women and children, is abundant across the country, such as oil palm extraction projects and gari production projects, which are still operational.’
The 31st December Women’s Movement (31 DWM) was founded in May 1982 by a small group of women keen to ensure that females benefited from Jerry John Rawlings’ revolution.
The movement was initially headed by a three-person national executive, and its stated aim was the improvement of women’s developmental and socio-economic position. In 1984, the founding executive asked Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings to become head of the movement.
She agreed, adding that her interest in women’s development was kindled by a visit to Cuba in 1983, where she had been very impressed with the achievements of the national women’s organisation, which spearheaded a general improvement in conditions for females in the country.
Following its inauguration, the 31 DWM worked to improve women’s literacy, start viable economic ventures, provide social services and educational programmes, and lobby for the abolition of discriminatory laws.
The 31 DWM arranged workshops on food processing and conservation, and undertook educational campaigns on personal hygiene, family planning, health and nutrition. In short, from the outset, 31 DWM was concerned with several development issues of particular interest to females.
Expansion
By the late 1980s, the movement had grown, with a national presence and with branches in all of the country’s then ten regions. Membership grew from an estimated 50,000 in 1983 to approximately 250,000 in the late 1980s and to three-quarters of a million in the early 1990s.
The 31 DWM was able to organise branches in rural areas because it used established networks of traditional society. In every town and village, there is typically a prominent woman who is the accepted source of advice for women’s marital, family or social problems. 31
DWM representatives went to these notables to explain the movement’s objectives and ideals.
If the locally prominent woman was persuaded of 31 DWM’s aims and objectives, she would call the women of the community for a group discussion. If they agreed to become involved with the 31 DWM, a new branch of the movement would be formed.
The 31 DWM had twin priorities: members’ health and welfare, and income-generating projects for community development. Success in developing social facilities served to attract international capital from NGOs and governments for various tasks, including the eradication of guinea-worm and digging wells.
In addition, the 31 DWM was involved in schemes to make money to improve members’ economic position, part of a strategy to make branches into self-sufficient economic units.
One of the first, located at Burma Camp, Accra, at the main barracks of the Ghana Armed Forces, was awarded contracts by the Armed Forces in 1983 to supply bread and kenkey.
The 31 DWM ventured not only into bread baking and kenkey-making, but also soap and pottery making, as well as farming cassava, poultry and pigs.
Money raised was invested both in income-generating projects and to pay for various social schemes, such as daycare centres to benefit working women.
Pressure group
The 31 DWM was an effective pressure group to improve the position of females in Ghana, including legally.
In 1985, the 31 DWM, the National Council for Women in Development, and the Ghana branch of the Federation of International Women Lawyers successfully lobbied the PNDC government to pass a series of laws: on family accountability, intestate succession, administration of estates and customary marriage, and divorce.
These laws were an important step towards assuring the women of Ghana of the equality of treatment before the law and to improve the economic position of working women during an era of neo-liberal economic reforms.
As long-time head of the 31 DWM, Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings should be given credit for her role in the improvement of the position of women in Ghana.
Many will remember her not only for her leadership of the 31DWM but also as Ghana’s First Lady for nearly two decades.
In Ghana’s men-dominated political and development environment, her achievements stand out.
A state funeral is a fitting tribute to a person of her stature and of her accomplishments on behalf of the women and girl children of Ghana.
The writer is Emeritus Professor of Politics at the London Metropolitan University, UK.
