Hon. Kate Mawusi Babanawo has paid Tribute to Former First Lady’s Lasting Legacy on Women’s Empowerment in the post 4th Republican Political History of Ghana. in a poignant interview on GBC Volta Star Radio.
Babanawo, District Chief Executive for Kwawu Afram Plains, shared heartfelt tributes to the late Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, former First Lady of Ghana. Babanawo credited Nana Konadu with revolutionizing Ghanaian women’s fashion and empowering them through education and entrepreneurship.
“If not for Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, I wouldn’t be the District Chief Executive for Kwawu Afram Plains,” Babanawo said, expressing her deep gratitude. According to her, Konadu introduced the wearing of underwear shorts, a game-changer for Ghanaian women who previously wore wrappers around their waists, often exposing themselves in public.
“She introduced the wearing of underwear shorts for women. Hitherto, women wore waist clothes in Ghana, and that made them unable to walk and ascend heights smartly. At times, women exposed their thighs and, in some cases, their panties when sitting, and especially when boarding or alighting from high vehicles,” Babanawo explained.
Konadu’s influence extended beyond fashion. She popularized the use of headgear, often wearing scarves herself, making women look presentable and well-kept. Babanawo noted that the former first lady’s efforts led to significant improvements in women’s lives, including the establishment of a gari factory at Amankwakrom and daycare centers for market women.
“She always said, ‘Education is the best investment you can make in your kids,’ discouraging women from working to buy stockpiles of cloths as property,” Babanawo recalled. Konadu encouraged women to be enterprising, invest in their children’s future, and prioritize education over fashion.
“She made it possible for women to send their kids to school near their workplaces, especially marketplaces, making it easier for them to balance work and motherhood,” Babanawo said.
Babanawo also highlighted Konadu’s pivotal role in protecting women’s rights. “In the earlier days, precedent to the 4th Republic, men beat and battered their wives with impulsivity and impunity. But after participating in the Beijing Conference in September 1995, a new wave of forceful and liberating public sensitization with eventual legislation brought an end to violence and discrimination against women,” she observed.
Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, wife of former President Jerry John Rawlings, passed away on October 23, 2025, at 76. Her legacy as a champion of women’s empowerment and education continues to inspire Ghanaians. Tributes have poured in from government officials, politicians, and citizens, praising her dedication to national service.
