President Nana Addo Dankwa Nana Akufo-Addo has conveyed his heartfelt condolences to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and his family on the passing of Mrs. Theresa Kufuor, the former First Lady of Ghana.
Mrs. Kufuor passed away on October 1, 2017, after a prolonged illness. President Akufo-Addo expressed his familiarity with the family, particularly with Mrs. Kufuor’s late brother, JH Mensah, and her nephew, Ambassador DK Osei.
The President acknowledged Mrs. Kufuor’s invaluable contributions as a constant source of advice, encouragement, and prayers for former President Kufuor, who led the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to victory in 2001. In his tribute on Monday, October 2, President Akufo-Addo expressed sadness about the news.
“Her passing reminds me keenly of human mortality, that is that Almighty God will come for each and every one of us at the appropriate time,” he wrote. “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.”
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.”
Theresa Kufuor is the esteemed wife of John Kufuor, the second President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, and a former First Lady of Ghana. With a background as a retired nurse and midwife, she began her education at the Catholic Convent, OLA, in Keta, located in the Volta Region of Ghana.
She furthered her studies in London, where she obtained her Registered General Nurse qualification from the Southern Hospital Group of Nursing in Edinburgh, Scotland. Theresa and John Kufuor’s union commenced when they met at a Republic Day Anniversary Dance in London in 1961, and they subsequently married in 1962 when John was 23 years old.
Together, they have been blessed with five children: J. Addo Kufuor, Nana Ama Gyamfi, Saah Kufuor, Agyekum Kufuor, and Owusu Afriyie Kufuor. As a devoted Roman Catholic, Theresa is not only a mother of five but also a proud grandmother of eight.
