Hannah Bissiw reconnects with Rawlings family after years of political fift

Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, National Women’s Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has rekindled ties with the family of the late former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, in what many observers describe as a long-overdue gesture of respect and reconciliation.

Dr. Bissiw’s recent visit to the Rawlings family has drawn attention not only for its emotional significance but also for its historical undertones.

Her relationship with the Rawlingses dates back decades, rooted in the political and social activism of her mother, who was a staunch member of the 31st December Women’s Movement — a revolutionary women’s empowerment organization founded and led by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.

It was through this connection that Nana Konadu facilitated Hannah Bissiw’s scholarship to Cuba, where she studied veterinary medicine.

Upon her return to Ghana, Hannah Bissiw was closely associated with the Rawlings household, virtually living with the family as she began her professional and political journey.

However, political events in the early 2010s created a rift between Bissiw and the Rawlingses.

During the internal NDC divisions marked by the rivalry between the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR) and Get Atta Mills Elected (GAME), Hannah Bissiw publicly aligned herself with the latter — a move seen as choosing late President John Evans Atta Mills over Nana Konadu, who had been a political mother figure to her.

This decision strained their once-close relationship, and according to political insiders, there were no notable efforts over the years to mend the broken ties.