Former Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings Laid to Rest

Former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings was on Wednesday, 27 January 2021 buried at the military cemetery after a burial service at Ghana’s Independence Square.

The Ghana’s late president Jerry John Rawlings was laid to rest at the country’s military cemetery in the capital after four days of commemorations to mark the death of the former leader who was loathed by some and loved by many in the West African nation.

Rawlings transformed from a military head of state who staged two coups to a democratically elected president who served for 19 years and is credited with laying the foundation for peaceful elections and transfers of power in Ghana.

At the age of 73, Rawlings died on 12 November 2020, after a short illness at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in the capital, Accra.

His casket was paraded through the main streets in Accra on Wednesday before his burial at the military cemetery at Burma Camp, the headquarters of Ghana’s armed forces.

In a tribute Wednesday, Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recalled the country’s political past saying it “culminated in the emergence of President Rawlings in the political space,” adding that he was “charismatic, energetic and fearless” and won “admirers and lifelong enemies."

Akudo-Addo said it was not a secret that there was “open animosity” between him and Rawlings and they did not see eye to eye. “However with time, things changed,” he said.

“One thing we had in common is the commitment to public service,” Akufo-Addo said, adding that Rawlings helped to make Ghana's democracy “stable in our history for all his revolutionary antecedents,” which established two-term presidencies and orderly transfers of power.

Akufo-Addo reiterated his desire to name the University of Development Studies after the late Rawlings for his role in its establishment.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), the political party the late former president founded, eulogized his sterling leadership, “which culminated the long period of political stability in Ghana.”

“He hated the exploitation of ordinary people by people who are powerful and rich. His passion was for inclusiveness and the creation of structures to enable all persons to participate in governance. This led to the establishment of structures that allowed ordinary Ghanaians to participate in the administration of the country,” said the NDC.

Rawlings was born in 1947 to a Scottish father and a Ghanaian mother, who only died in September last year at the age of 101. Rawlings, who trained as an air force officer, came to power in 1979 after leading a coup, and soon after transferred power to civilian rule.

In December 1981, he staged a second coup and was Ghana’s military leader until he introduced multi-party elections in 1992 that returned the country to democracy. He won the elections and was sworn in as president in 1993 and served two elected four-year terms, leaving office in 2001.

His widow, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, said that “he was a caring husband who did all manner of house chores before going to work.”

Among those attending Rawlings' funeral were Liberia’s President George Weah, Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, Togolese Speaker of Parliament Yawa Dzigbodi Tsegan and Nigeria’s foreign minister Geoffery Onyeama.

Ghana commemorations for Rawlings lasted four days, beginning Sunday with a service at the Holy Spirit Cathedral. On Monday and Tuesday his body lay in state at the Accra International Conference Centre where the family and various groups could pay their last respects.

In addition to his wife, Rawlings is survived by three daughters: Zanetor Rawlings, Yaa Asantewaa Rawlings, Amina Rawlings; and one son, Kimathi Rawlings.