Former president of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings died on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 73.
He reportedly died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra after a brief illness.
Here are seven things to know about him
1. Jerry Rawling was born in Accra on 22nd June 1947 to a Ghanaian mother from Dzelukope, near Keta in the Volta Region and a Scottish father.
2. He finished his secondary education at Achimota College in 1967. He joined the Ghana Air Force shortly afterwards. In March 1968, he was posted to Takoradi, in Ghana’s Western Region, to continue his studies. He graduated in January 1969.
3. He served as Ghana’s Chief of Defence Staff from November 1982 to August 1983.
4. Rawlings led an unsuccessful coup-de-tat against the ruling military government on 15 May 1979. During his trial, Rawlings justified his action by claiming that official corruption had eroded public confidence in the government and had tarnished the image of the armed forces.
5. He was elected on the ticket of NDC as the first elected President of Ghana’s fourth republic with Kow Nkensen Arkaah as his Vice. He (Mr. Rawlings) was re-elected president in 1996 with John Evans Atta-Mills as his Vice.
6. He was an avid football and boxing fan.
