Evelyn Abingde, the District Girls’ Education Officer for Talensi, is stepping into the political spotlight as she contests the position of Upper East Regional Women’s Organiser for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), following years of grassroots advocacy for girl child education in Ghana.
In an interview on A1 Radio’s Equal Voices, Abingde recounted her personal journey that began with being one of just two girls in her Junior High School. She described how by the final year, she was the only girl left in class after the other student dropped out to marry.
“By the time we reached the final year, I was the only one left,” she said. “The other girl dropped out to get married. That stayed with me.”
Abingde, now a champion for girls’ retention in school, said her mission is to ensure that fewer girls drop out due to child marriage. She explained that many girls disappear from school around the ages of 15 or 16, with subsequent follow-ups revealing that many had been married off.
“Most of the girls we lose are around 15 or 16,” she explained. “They start Junior High, then suddenly they’re gone. When we trace them, we often find they’ve been married off.”
Her role as an education officer extends beyond administrative duties. She frequently travels to rural communities to engage with parents, resolve cases of forced marriages, and personally intervene to return girls to school.
“We’ve had to intervene in situations where girls were taken from their husbands and sent back to their father’s house. Sometimes, we bring her back and she gets to continue school.”
Through PTA meetings and community sensitization, Abingde has built trust and inspired awareness about the importance of female education. Her hands-on activism eventually propelled her into active politics.
She currently serves as the Talensi Constituency Women’s Organiser for the NPP, where she is now seeking to influence policies that can further support girls and women at the regional level.
“Education is still the heart of what I do,” she said. “Politics just gives me a wider platform to fight for the same girls I’ve always fought for.”
Her story, defined by resilience and deep community engagement, resonates with many across the Upper East Region, where educational inequality and child marriage continue to affect young girls’ futures.
“If I can help just one girl stay in school, one girl avoid what others couldn’t, then I know I’ve done something meaningful,” she said.
Background: NPP’s 2024 Performance in the Upper East Region
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) faced challenges in the 2024 General Elections in the Upper East Region, where it secured only a few parliamentary seats and trailed behind the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in presidential votes. The party has since initiated reorganisation processes at all levels, focusing on women and youth engagement, grassroots mobilization, and restructuring of constituency executives to regain political momentum ahead of the 2028 elections.
Evelyn Abingde’s candidacy is seen by many political observers as part of the NPP’s broader strategy to empower female leaders and build community-centered advocacy within its ranks in northern Ghana.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1MHz | Keziah Porepeya Nsoh | Bolgatanga
