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Ghanaians have been asked to use the death of Mrs Gladys Asmah, a former Minister of Women and Children�s Affairs (MOWAC), under the Kufuor Administration, to unite and reconcile the nation. According to Rt Rev John Kwamena Otoo, the death of Mrs Asmah should pave the way for peace, unity and love among Ghanaians. Rt Rev Otoo is the Presiding Bishop of the Sekondi Diocese of the Anglican Church in the Western Region. He made the call at the commemoration of one week of the death of Mrs Asmah, She died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital at age 78. Mourners The Ridge Church in Accra, where the event was held yesterday, was jam-packed with mourners, largely made up of members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who gathered at the place to observe the occasion. The members of the party, led by former President John Agyekum Kufuor and some other dignitaries, joined the family and relatives in the two-hour ceremony. Rev. Otoo described Mrs Asmah as a true leader who had served her nation well by working towards bringing unity and oneness among Ghanaians. He observed that for Ghana to attain its development goals, every individual should discard distractive endeavours that would only hinder the nation�s progress. Joe Ghartey�s remarks Speaking to the Daily Graphic later, an aspiring presidential candidate of the NPP, Mr Joe Ghartey, described Mrs Asmah as a visionary leader whose contribution to the party and Ghana was tremendous. �She would be celebrated as one of the truthful and honest members of the party. Even when she left her position, she remained vibrant towards the empowerment of women in the NPP and in Ghana,� he said. Mr Ghartey, therefore, called on the members of the party to use the demise of Mrs Asmah to work towards victory in the 2016 elections. MP for Takoradi For his part, the Member of Parliament for Takoradi, Mr Kobina Okyere Darko, said the demise of Mrs Asmah was a big blow to the party and the people of Takoradi. According to him, Mrs Asmah, during her period of service to Ghana, offered hope to the people of Takoradi, especially the market women and the needy in the society. �She demonstrated the same desire to help women and children when the then President Kufuor appointed her as the minister in charge of MOWAC,� he added. Kwame Osei Prempeh A former Deputy Attorney General in Kufuor Administration, Mr Kwame Osei Prempeh, described Mrs Asmah as a strong and energetic woman with extreme passion to serve Ghana. �Ghana has lost a great woman and the party would forever miss a strong woman,� he said. Death and ceremony Mrs Asmah, until her death in June, had been on admission at the hospital for about two weeks. Her condition was attributed to old age and its associated ailments. Adorned in black and red attire, members of the NPP, including the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, silently passed while others shed tears as they greeted and embraced relatives and immediate family members of Mrs Asmah. Biography Mrs Asmah was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi from January 1997 to January 2009, Minister of Women and Children�s Affairs from 2001 to 2005 and Minister of Fisheries from 2005 to 2009. She was born in Cape Coast in the Central Region and started her primary education at the Wesley Girls� School and then went to the Ghana National College, both in Cape Coast. After her secondary education, she worked briefly with the Ghana Railway Corporation and later as a supervisor at the Laboratory and Quality Control Department of the Pioneer Tobacco Company (PTC), where she worked for six years. Having been exposed to managerial training at the PTC, she decided to pursue further studies in Britain, and so in June 1963 she left Ghana for the United Kingdom.