Reports filtering in this morning have it that ex-Ghanaian president, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor is dead.

The former president died at the age of 78 in Johannesburg, South Africa after a surgical operation on his spine.

Reuters reports that Kufuor was flown to South Africa to receive medication after complaining bitterly about an excruciating pain at the spinal cord and some Joburg doctors conducted a surgery on him but he passed away after 45mins of the surgery.

Born December 8, 1938, Kufour was a retired Ghanaian politician and statesman who served as president of Ghana from 2001 to 2009.