Two African presidents were in town for the final funeral rites of former president Jerry John Rawlings which took place today at the Black Star square in Accra.

Liberian leader George Weah and Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio flew into town with their spouses on Tuesday to join the ceremony. According to official acknowledgements at the event, a former president of Benin Thomas Yayi Boni was also in attendance.

The Nigerien government was also represented through Prime Minister Brigi Rafini. The regional bloc ECOWAS was also represented by the ECOWAS Commission chair, Jean-Claude Brou.

Liberia and Sierra Leone were beneficiaries of Ghana’s intervention during the Rawlings era. Ghana’s peacekeeping efforts benefitted the two countries during their respective civil wars in the 90s.

Rawlings was government’s representative to the 2019 burial of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. He spoke highly of Mugabe at the funeral ceremony held at a stadium in the capital Harare.

President Rawlings delivers tribute on behalf of the government and people of Ghana at President Mugabe's funeral. https://t.co/jWJnXWeUsv

— Jerry John Rawlings (@officeofJJR) September 14, 2019

A number of leaders across the sub-region sent condolence messages following the announcement of JJ’s death in November 2020. Among them were Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, Roch Marc Kabore of Burkina Faso and Macky Sall of Senegal.

“It is with great sadness that I learnt of the passing of former president Jerry Rawlings of Ghana. Africa has lost a stalwart of Pan-Africanism and a charismatic continental statesman.

“My sincere condolences to his family, the people and the government of Ghana,” read a November 2020 tweet by Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, AUC.