The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has declared seven days of national morning for Flt. Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, Ghana’s first President in the Fourth Republic, who joined his ancestors on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
Mr. Rawlings passed on while receiving treatment at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital with the cause of his illness immediately not known.
Further to the national mourning, President Akufo-Addo has also directed that all national flags should fly at half-mast for the next seven days in all parts of the country.
The directive takes effect from Friday, November 13, 2020, to Friday, November 20, 2020.
“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 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”, a statement signed by President Akufo-Addo and released in Accra in part read.
