In 2009, she was appointed to the Council of State by the late President J.E.A. Mills and again appointed in 2013 by H.E. the President John Dramani Mahama. In her historic role as Chairperson of the Sixth (6th) Council of State, she was the first woman to hold that high office in Ghana. Having served earlier on the Fifth (5th) Council of State, she brought a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the institution’s work to the chair. She demonstrated that the Council’s duty was not only to advise, but to uphold the spirit of good governance and promote national unity. Under her stewardship, the Council deepened its engagement with key state institutions and the citizenry, by engaging in insightful working visits outside Accra. She provided steady leadership to the Council, instituting key committees and personally chairing some of them to ensure focus and diligence in the Council’s work. She was a fierce and resilient politician, a mentor and an example to younger women, especially in politics. Those who knew her remember not only her public achievements but her kindness and heart of service. Her passing reminds us that a life lived in service never truly ends. Its influence continues in the lives it touched and in the institutions it strengthened. Ghana is better for her journey, and her name will remain among those who served with purpose and grace. May the Almighty grant her peaceful rest, and may her legacy continue to inspire those of us who follow in her path of service. We take consolation in the fact that even though she is gone, she is still the Lord’s. Now her labour is done. She rests from her good works, and her memory lives in the heart of the nation she loved. As captured in the timeless words of Methodist Hymn Book (MHB) 976: Now the labourer’s task is o’er; Now the battle day is past; Now upon the farther shore Lands the voyager at last. Fare thee well, Auntie Ceci. Till we meet again. “ She was a fierce and resilient politician, a mentor and an example to younger women, especially in politics. Those who knew her remember not only her public achievements but her kindness and heart of service. 1946 MRS. CECILIA JOHNSON 2025 26 A Loving Farewell
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