Prampram (GA/R), March 13, GNA - Prampram Traditional Council (PTC) on Saturday honoured the national best farmer for 2006, Mr Mohammed Tetteh Akpah and four African-American medical doctors for projecting the district through their various contributions.

Honouring them at a durbar held in Prampram, Nene Ahwerebenta II, Mankralo of Prampram noted that while Mr Akpah has brought fame and honour to the area, the medical doctors from Atlanta, USA have also shown love to the deprived by offering free medical care to the people in the area for a week.

In recognition of their contribution, the 22nd national best farmer, who is into crop farming and livestock rearing, together with the wife were presented a kente cloth, while the doctors were given traditional beads.

Citations accompanying honour described them as hard working people who have proved that they really have the district at heart and have lifted it high.

Nene Ahwerebenta urged all citizens in the Dangme West District to take a cue from Mr Akpah's hard work and go into ventures in the informal sector that would be productive to them, society and the nation as a whole.

The leader of the medical team, Dr Paul King expressed his gratitude to Mr Padi Murphy, also an African-American who has been enstooled Development Chief by the Council under the name Nii Martey Kwao for being the link between them and the people of the area. He said during the weeklong stay in the area, he and his team attended to various ailments such as malaria, diabetes and skin diseases with hypertension being the leading ailment.

Dr King could not assign reasons to the increase in hypertension cases, but advised on periodic medical examination, exercises and a reduction in salt intake.

He stressed that once a patient is diagnosed as being hypertensive he or she would have to be on drugs continuously since it is a silent killer.

Nii Martey Kwao indicated that they intend linking Prampram to the USA to support development at the area, which abounds in rich resources and needs to be tapped.

As a first step they intend assisting the educational sector by constructing a library and later extend it to other social facilities. The National Best Farmer encouraged the youth to go into agriculture and advised them to start with small farms and gradually expand it.

Dr Frank Mokwei Addo, an obstetrician/gynaecologist and owner of the "Modern Women's Clinic" at Prampram, on his part said, he is networking with the African-American doctors to ensure that the people benefit greatly from their services. 13 March 07