The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has honoured its founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings, by renaming its national headquarters after him and unveiling a bust in his memory as part of activities marking what would have been his 79th birthday.
The ceremony, held in Accra on Monday under the theme “From Revolution to Fourth Republic: The Rawlings Legacy,” brought together party leaders, supporters and government officials to celebrate the enduring influence of the late statesman on Ghana’s democratic development and the NDC’s political tradition.
President John Dramani Mahama joined senior party figures to pay tribute to Rawlings, describing the renaming of the headquarters as a step towards preserving the values and sacrifices that shaped the party.
The headquarters, now known as JJ Rawlings House, serves as the nerve centre of the NDC’s operations and decision-making.
Explaining the significance of the move, President Mahama said the decision was intended to ensure that future generations of party members remain connected to the ideals championed by the party’s founder.
“By naming this headquarters after J.J. Rawlings, we are embedding our history in the very fabric of this institution and ensuring that future generations will never lose sight of the values and sacrifices that have brought us this far,” he said.
Mahama noted, however, that Rawlings himself had long resisted attempts to have institutions and monuments named after him during his lifetime.
“Rawlings himself, if he were alive, would have been very uncomfortable with this ceremony we are holding, by which we seek to immortalise his name,” he said.
According to the President, Rawlings declined proposals to name the University for Development Studies after him despite contributing his World Food Prize Award as seed funding for the institution.
“He politely declined to have the University for Development Studies named after him, even though he had given up his World Food Prize Award as seed funding to start that university,” Mahama recounted.
The President also revealed that Rawlings rejected a proposal to name the FPSO vessel operating at the ENI Sankofa oil field after him.
“And he said, ‘Pass it on to President Kufuor. I prefer to have my name inscribed in the minds and hearts of men than on statues and monuments,’” Mahama quoted.
Despite that position, Mahama said the party considered it important to preserve Rawlings’ memory and legacy through lasting symbols that would inspire future generations.
“Fortunately for us today, he is in no position to object to what we are doing here to immortalise his name,” he added.
The President said the unveiling of the bust and the renaming of the headquarters were not only meant to honour Rawlings as an individual but also to celebrate the principles he embodied throughout his public life.
“We celebrate not only Jerry Rawlings’ life but also the values he embodied. We celebrate his courage and leadership. We celebrate his conviction in times of uncertainty, his commitment to national service and his enduring belief that public office should be used to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.”
Rawlings, who died in November 2020, remains one of the most influential figures in Ghana’s contemporary political history, having led the country’s transition to constitutional rule and served as the first President of the Fourth Republic from 1993 to 2001.
