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 been a Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. She became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Erith and Thamesmead in 2019. She and Bell Ribeiro-Addy were the first two female British Ghanaian MPs. This means they are women of Ghanaian background who became Members of Parliament in the UK.
She was also part of the Official Opposition frontbench from 2020. This means she was a leading member of the Labour Party while they were not in power. She served as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and later as Shadow Minister for Women's Health and Mental Health.
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About Abena Oppong-Asare's Early Life
Abena Oppong-Asare's family comes from Ghana. She studied Politics with International Relations at the University of Kent. She also earned a master's degree in International Law with International Relations from the same university.
Abena Oppong-Asare's Journey in Politics
Abena Oppong-Asare is the leader of the Labour Women's Network. This group supports women in the Labour Party. From 2014 to 2018, she was a local councillor for the Labour Party. She represented the Erith ward on Bexley Council. During this time, she was also the Deputy Leader of the Labour group on the council. She spoke for the party on education matters.
Before becoming an MP, she worked as a parliamentary assistant. She also helped people in her local area as a constituency liaison officer. She gave advice to the shadow minister who worked on preventing violence against women and girls. Abena Oppong-Asare also worked at the Greater London Authority. There, she helped London's elected members represent the city's people. She led community work after the Grenfell Tower fire.
In 2019, she decided to run for MP in Erith and Thamesmead. The previous MP, Teresa Pearce, was stepping down.
Important Reports and Roles
In 2020, Abena Oppong-Asare wrote a report called "Leaving Nobody Behind in Erith and Thamesmead." This report looked at how the pandemic affected different groups of people. It focused on disabled people, ethnic minorities, women, young people, and those from poorer backgrounds. The report was praised 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. Later, on 16 April 2020, she became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anneliese Dodds. A Parliamentary Private Secretary helps a senior minister or shadow minister with their work.
On 16 October 2020, Abena Oppong-Asare was promoted. She became the Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. This role involves working on financial matters for the Labour Party.
Recognitions and Community Work
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. Asking questions helps hold the government accountable. In June 2021, a company called Edelman listed her as one of the "ones to watch" from the MPs elected in 2019.
In 2022, Abena Oppong-Asare was included in the Women in Westminster 100 list. This list celebrates important women in politics.
Every year, she organizes a Summer School for young people in her area. She invites important speakers to teach and run workshops. These events encourage young people to get involved in politics. They especially focus on those who might not usually participate.
In 2023, she was appointed Shadow Minister for Women's Health and Mental Health. This role focuses on improving healthcare for women and mental health services.
