The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference paid a visit to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and his family on October 5, 2023, to extend their condolences over the passing of former First Lady Theresa Kufuor.
Led by Most Reverend Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua, the bishops offered prayers for Kufuor and signed a book of condolence.
Mrs. Theresa Kufuor passed away at her home on Sunday, October 1, 2023, at the age of 88.
She was the First Lady of Ghana from January 7, 2001, to January 6, 2009.
Theresa Kufuor began her education at the Catholic Convent, OLA, in Keta, Volta Region, Ghana. She later pursued her education in London, specializing as a Registered General Nurse in the Southern Hospital Group of Nursing in Edinburgh, Scotland. Further studies at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, and Paddington General Hospital, London, led to her qualification as a State Certified Midwife with a Certificate in Premature Nursing.
She was a founding member of the Mother and Child Community Development Foundation (MCCDF), a non-governmental organization active in Ghana and Canada that focuses on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Notably, she advocated for the implementation of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) program for kindergarten children, as part of the government’s educational reforms in 2007.
Madam Theresa Kufuor actively accompanied her husband on various official visits and engagements, representing Ghana at both local and international events. She also served as the First Lady of the African Union from 2007 to 2008, during her husband’s tenure as Chairperson of the continental body.
In recognition of her dedication to the welfare of children and mothers in need, as well as her substantial contributions to the Catholic Church and humanity, Madam Theresa Kufuor was honoured and awarded the Papal Award of Dame of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.
