Sad! Ex-Ghana President Jerry Rawlings Dies At 73

Rawlings first came to power in the 1979 coupe when he was an air force lieutenant. He transferred power to civilian rule soon after but then led another coup two years later, decrying government corruption and weak leadership.

From 1981 to 1993, he ruled as chairman of a joint military-civilian government. In 1992 he was elected president under a new constitution, taking up that office the following year.

As president, he liberalized Ghana’s economy, encouraging investment in the oil and gold sectors.

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In 2001, he handed over power to John Kufour of the opposition party who had defeated Rawlings’ vice president in the previous year’s election.

After stepping down, Rawlings remained a power broker in Ghanaian politics while serving in various international diplomatic posts, including as the African Union’s representative in Somalia.

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“Africa has lost a stalwart of Pan-Africanism and a charismatic continental statesman,” AU Commission chair Moussa Faki said on Twitter.