Her Ladyship Justice Georgina Theodora Wood is a jurist and the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of Ghana. Her great career in law and public service spans several decades and has made her an important figure in Ghana’s judicial history.

Justice Wood began her education at Bishop’s Girls’ School and Methodist Primary School in the Greater Accra Region. She later attended Mmofraturo Girls’ Boarding School in Kumasi before continuing her Methodist education at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast.

She proceeded to the University of Ghana, Legon, where she earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree. She subsequently attended the Ghana School of Law and was called to the Ghanaian Bar.

Following law school, Justice Wood completed a Post-Graduate Officers Training Course at the Ghana Police College. She began her legal career with the Ghana Police Service, serving for three years as a Public Prosecutor and Deputy Superintendent before transitioning to the judiciary as a magistrate.

In June 2007, she was appointed Chief Justice by President John Agyekum Kufuor, making history as the first woman to hold the highest judicial office in Ghana. Her appointment was a significant milestone for women in Ghanaian public life and the legal profession.

Justice Wood served as Chief Justice from 2007 until her retirement in June 2017. During her decade-long tenure, she administered the oath of office to three Ghanaian presidents: John Evans Atta Mills, John Dramani Mahama, and Nana Akufo-Addo.

She is also widely recognised for her role in pioneering and mainstreaming court-connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) within Ghana’s judicial system. She actively promoted ADR among judges, lawyers and law students as part of efforts to modernise the administration of justice and provide alternative avenues for resolving disputes.

After retiring from the bench following decades of public service, Justice Wood was sworn in as a member of Ghana’s Council of State in June 2017. Her appointment was another historic moment, as she became the first former head of Ghana’s judiciary in the Fourth Republic to serve on the advisory body.