Theresa Kufuor, the former First Lady of Ghana, has died at the age of 87.

“Her warmth, kindness and grace were exceptional,” said the country’s current president in an announcement on Monday.

Mrs Kufuor served as First Lady from January 2001 to January 2009 and is remembered for her dedicated work in advancing maternal and child healthcare in Ghana.

Her advocacy efforts were pivotal in the introduction of a policy providing free childbirth care, which significantly reduced maternal and child mortality rates in the country.

In 2007, she championed policy reform for the implementation of Unesco’s Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) program for nursery-age children.

Born Theresa Mensah on 25 October 1935 in Kumasi, Ghana, she went on to have fulfilling career as a midwife and earned the admiration of Ghanaians for maintaining a modest profile throughout her eight years in public life as first lady.

She married Former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 1962 after they met at a Republic Day anniversary dance in London the year before.

Theresa Kufuor is survived by her husband and their five children.

-BBC-