Abena Oppong-Asare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abena Oppong-Asare
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Chair of the Labour Women's Network | |
| Assumed office September 2019 |
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| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office | |
| Assumed office 9 July 2024 Serving with Georgia Gould
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| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Alex Burghart |
| Shadow Minister for Women's Health and Mental Health | |
| In office 5 September 2023 – 6 July 2024 |
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| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Rosena Allin-Khan |
| Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 16 October 2020 – 5 September 2023 |
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| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Wes Streeting |
| Succeeded by | Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi |
| Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead |
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| Assumed office 12 December 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Teresa Pearce |
| Majority | 16,302 (40.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Abena Oppong-Asare
8 February 1983 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Kent (BA, MA) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Abena Oppong-Asare (born 8 February 1983) is a British politician. She is a member of the Labour Party. Since July 2024, she has served as a Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. She became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Erith and Thamesmead in the 2019 general election. She and Bell Ribeiro-Addy were the first female MPs of British Ghanaian heritage.
In 2020, she joined the Official Opposition frontbench. This means she was part of the main opposition party's team. She served as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. Later, she became the Shadow Minister for Women's Health and Mental Health.
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Early Life and Education
Abena Oppong-Asare has family roots in Ghana. She went to the University of Kent. There, she studied Politics with International Relations. She also earned a master's degree in International Law with International Relations.
Political Journey
Abena Oppong-Asare is the chair of the Labour Women's Network. This group supports women in the Labour Party.
Local Government Role
From 2014 to 2018, she was a Labour Party Councillor. She represented the Erith ward on Bexley Council. She was also the Deputy Leader of the opposition Labour Group from 2014 to 2016. During this time, she spoke on education matters.
Supporting Parliament and Community
Before becoming an MP, she worked as a parliamentary assistant. She also served as a constituency liaison officer. This role involves connecting with people in a local area. She advised the shadow minister for Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls. She also worked at the Greater London Authority. There, she helped London's elected members represent their communities. She led community efforts after the Grenfell Tower fire.
Becoming an MP
In 2019, she sought to become the Labour candidate for Erith and Thamesmead. The previous MP, Teresa Pearce, decided to step down. Abena Oppong-Asare was then elected as the MP for the area.
Key Contributions in Parliament
In 2020, she published a report called "Leaving Nobody Behind in Erith and Thamesmead". This report looked at how the pandemic affected different groups. It focused on disabled people, ethnic minorities, women, young people, and those from lower-income backgrounds. The report was well-received by local and national news.
On 14 January 2020, she became a Parliamentary Private Secretary. She worked for the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Luke Pollard. On 16 April 2020, she became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anneliese Dodds.
In October 2020, she was promoted. She became the Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. This role involves working on financial matters for the opposition.
Recognitions and Engagement
In November 2021, a group called Vuelio noted her work. They said she was among the top three new MPs who asked the most questions in Parliament. In June 2021, a PR firm named Edelman listed her as "one to watch" from the 2019 group of MPs. In 2022, she was included in the Women in Westminster 100 list. This list celebrates influential women in politics.
Each year, Abena Oppong-Asare hosts a Summer School. It is for young people in her local area. She invites important speakers to give training and workshops. These events encourage young people to get involved in politics. They especially aim to include those who are often not represented.
Abena Oppong-Asare is also a member of Labour Friends of Israel.
