Former U.N First African Secretary General, Kofi Annan Has Died Aged 80

Former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has died at the age of 80.

Annan was one of the world's most recognised black diplomats, and he was the first African secretary-general of the U.N. He was Ghanaian.

His foundation announced that he died from an unspecified illness in a hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of Saturday, August 18th, 2018.

A statement from the Kofi Annan Foundation read; “It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness. ”

Reflecting on his Legacy, I can say that I had great admiration and respect for Kofi Annan. He was a first; being the first African Secretary General of the United Nations, and a staunch global Diplomat, always advocating for peace, tolerance and the importance of justice. I followed him even after he departed the role of U.N Secretary General, observing his timely intervention in many areas of conflict around the world with his calmness of approach in all instances.

A great man has gone on to meet the other great men and women who have gone ahead into that powerful Ancestral realm. Rest well Kofi, your Legacy is assured.

Read the full statement below: