Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s former President, has died of complications from the Covid-19. He was aged 73.
Rawlings had been hospitalized at Korle Bu, the Teaching Hospital of the University of Ghana, Legon, for a week, after he was infected with the Covid-19 virus, before his death on Thursday
He was born in Accra, Ghana on June 22, 1947, to a Ghanaian mother and a Scottish father.
The former President initially came to power in Ghana as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force following a coup d’état in 1979.
Before then, he had led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on 15 May 1979, just five weeks before scheduled democratic elections were due to take place.
Rawlings killed many generals and former military heads of state in Ghana, including Generals Fred Akufo, Ignatius Acheampong, Generals Kotei, Joy Amedume, Roger Felli, and Kotei.
From 1981 to 1993, Rawlings ruled as chairman of a joint military-civilian government. In 1992 he was elected president on the platform of the National Democratic Congress, under a new constitution.
He was until his death, the African Union envoy to Somalia. Rawlings as leader of Ghana launched a massive anti-corruption campaign that purged the nation of corrupt political elements.
The Ghanaian government has declared a week of national mourning.
