A statement issued yesterday and signed by the Executive Director of the BIRDD, Anane Agyei, to mark the one-week observance of the passing of Mrs Kufuor, described the late former first lady as an exceptional lady who inspired many with her tireless efforts to help educate and improve the standard of living of Ghanaians.

Her impact, the institute said, would be felt for generations to come and she will be remembered for her legacy in the form of substantial contributions to Ghanaians, particularly in the areas of healthcare and education.

Service

 “Two of the notable traits of Mrs Kufuor were humility and compassion for the needy and vulnerable.

Despite having been the First Lady of Ghana for eight years, she maintained a low profile in the political arena.

However, in the background, she played tremendous roles, especially in supporting women, children and the vulnerable,” the statement said.

“In line with her passion for caring for children and mothers, Mrs Kufuor founded the Mother and Child Community Development Foundation.

It was a non-governmental organisation that worked to prevent mother-to-child transmission of diseases.

In addition, she built three primary schools at Nyanyano, Kotobabi and Kuntunse for the communities and supplied a mammogram for the Sunyani Hospital,” it said.

“Mrs Kufuor was a devout Catholic and was, for a long time, a member of the King Parish Choir, Accra.

The tremendous success of the Kufuor Administration is a tribute to the great support Mrs Kufuor offered her husband and the nation,” it added.

The statement said the late Mrs Kufuor, the second First Lady of the Fourth Republic of Ghana (2001-2009), whose husband, Mr J A Kufuor, served as the president of the Republic from 2001 – 2009, distinguished herself in many ways in her services to the country and humanity.

She had a strong commitment to the plight of poor children and their mothers, adding that she was a proud recipient of the Papal Award Dame of St Gregory the Great, conferred on her by Pope Benedict XVI. 

Background

Mrs Kufuor started her education at the Roman Catholic Girls School in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region and continued at the Catholic Convent, OLA, at Keta in the Volta Region.

She later went to London in the United Kingdom, where she was educated as a registered general nurse in the Southern Hospital Group of Nursing, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Mrs Kufuor qualified as a midwife at Oxford University Hospital, Radcliff Infirmary.

She was also a State Certified Midwife with a certificate in Premature Nursing from the Royal College of Nursing in London.

Mrs Kufuor was the first matron of the Cocoa Clinic in Accra.

Born on October 25, 1935, Mrs Kufuor, 87, died on Sunday, October 1, this year.