Nkawkaw, March 3, GNA- Chief Justice Mrs Georgina Wood, has urged women to use opportunities available to them to acquire education and to empower themselves to be able to take up challenges. She said the struggle for empowerment and equality of women could not be achieved if they lacked the requisite qualification to position them to assume higher mantles.

Chief Justice Mrs Wood was addressing a thanksgiving service to round-off Ghana's 50th anniversary celebrations, organised by the Mothers Union of the Catholic Church at Nkawkaw on Sunday. She said "Whiles I urge women to be assertive and advocate change, I equally challenge them to eschew laziness and envies, which have always been associated with women and educate themselves." According to the Chief Justice, women were the backbone and conscience of society and they must be abreast with the times to justify their call for inclusion in development efforts.

Chief Justice Mrs Wood advised women that their fight for empowerment should not take away their core responsibility of being humble to their husbands and nurturing of children. She thanked the Union for supporting hers during her appointment to the office of Chief Justice.

The District Chief Executive for Kwahu West, Nana Kofi Kesse, asked the people to support government policies that aimed at championing their cause.

He appealed to the Catholic Church to establish a senor high school for girls in the area to augment the many junior high schools the Church had established.

Reverend Father Paul Laweh of the St Michael Catholic Church asked Ghanaians to reflect things that would propel the country forward. He advocated the teaching of religion at all levels of the educational system.

Rev Laweh called on parents to invest in the children's education and asked political leaders to be transparent in the handling of national affairs.

He said it was not for nothing that a woman had been appointed Chief Justice and that it was God's way of encouraging women to acquire education and to empower them to enable them to find their rightful places in society.