Jerry Rawlings: Why he divided opinion in Ghana

Jerry Rawlings twice seized power in Ghana but returned the country to democratic control.

After his first coup attempt he was sentenced to death but he escaped to overthrow the country's military government.

Two years later Rawlings removed a democratically elected head of state but then successfully stood for election himself.

Initially a committed socialist, he introduced free-market reforms and made his country a major player in UN peacekeeping missions.

Jerry John Rawlings was born in Accra on 22 June 1947, the son of a Scottish farmer and a Ghanaian mother.

He attended Achimota secondary school, where he excelled on the polo pitch and was described by fellow pupils as outspoken and rebellious.

In 1968 he enrolled in the military academy at Teshie, near Accra, and was later sent to a flight training school.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he gained his wings and joined the elite Fourth Squadron of jet fighters based in Accra.