President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended his deepest condolences to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and his children as well as grandchildren over the passing of Mrs Theresa Kufuor.
Mrs. Kufuor passed away at their Peduase residence on Sunday, October 1 after a long illness.
In his tribute on Monday, October 2, President Akufo-Addo expressed sadness about the news.
“My wife, Rebecca, the First Lady, and I will miss her a lot. We extend our deepest condolences to President Kufuor, their children, grandchildren, and members of their family on their irreplaceable loss.”
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo noted he knew her family very well, particularly her brother, the late JH Mensah, as well as nephew Ambassador DK Osei.
He expressed admiration for her “invaluable” and “constant” source of advice, encouragement, and prayers for former President Kufuor, who led the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to government in 2001.
“She was a composed and articulate First Lady, polyglot, fluent in several languages including Ewe, who brought great dignity to the position. I knew several members of her family, especially her celebrated brother, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know her too.
“Her warmth, kindness and grace were exceptional. She bore the vicissitudes of life with great stoicism and an unshakeable belief in the sovereignty of Almighty God.”
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
On behalf of his wife, Rebecca, and the people of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo wished her a “peaceful place of abode in the bosom of the Almighty, as she deserves, until the Last Day of the Resurrection when we shall all meet again”.
Meanwhile, the office of John Agyekum, through the Senior Aide and Spokesperson, Dr. Kwabena Osei Adubofour, has confirmed that the former president is recovering from the devastating news of his wife’s death.
“It came to him as shocking news, he is very sad. The old man didn’t take it kindly at all. It was a shock to him but this morning I have seen that he is recovering to some extent.”
Dr. Kwabena Osei Adubofour
He asked the public to remember the family in prayers.
Also, Dr. Osei Adubofour shared some profound memories of the late First Lady.
“The former first lady was a mother of five grown adults. She was motherly and caring, very devoted to her husband. She trained as a nurse midwife and worked so many years at the Cocoa Clinic at Kanashie and retired a little bit early she helped her husband to become a president and became a good first lady.”
Dr. Kwabena Osei Adubofour
She helped mothers and children and built some schools.
According to him, if one admires President Kufuor’s administration then one must admire the women with whom he ruled the nation with the obvious admiration of many.
Mrs. Theresa Kufuor, born 25 October 1935 was the wife of John Kufuor, the second President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, and former First Lady of Ghana. She was a retired nurse and midwife.
Mrs. Kufuor started her education at the Catholic Convent, OLA, at Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana. She later went to London, where she was educated as a Registered General Nurse, in the Southern Hospital Group of Nursing, Edinburgh, Scotland.
After further study at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, and Paddington General Hospital, London, she qualified as a State Certified Midwife with a Certificate in Premature Nursing.
Theresa married John Kufuor when he was at age 23 after they met at a Republic Day Anniversary Dance in London in 1961. They got married in 1962. She is a mother of five and a grandmother of eight. She is a devout Roman Catholic. Despite being the first lady of Ghana for eight years between 2001 and 2009, she managed to maintain a low profile in the political arena.
During her time as First Lady, she established the Mother to Child Community Development Foundation, which aimed to promote the healthy development of children and prevent the transmission of diseases from mothers to their offspring.
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