Kofi Annan’s funeral: World leaders bid farewell to ex-UN chief
Ghanaians bid farewell to former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday in a state funeral attended by African leaders and international statesmen who hailed his record as an advocate for humanity and world peace.
Annan, a Ghanaian national and Nobel laureate, died on August 18 in a Swiss hospital at 80.
Born in Kamasi, Ghana, on April 8, 1938, Annan took the baton as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from Egyptian diplomat Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali in December 1996. He served for two consecutive five-year terms, from January 1997 to December 2006.
His body was flown to Accra on Monday for burial in his homeland, where he is seen as a national hero.
Around 6,000 mourners filled the auditorium for yesterday’s service – the climax of a multi-day funeral ceremony, which has seen his coffin, draped in the Ghanaian national colours, displayed for public viewing.