Prampram, March 13, GNA - The 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 Dangme West District through their various contributions. At a durbar held in their honour at Prampram, Nene Ahwerebenta II, Mankralo of Prampram noted that while Mr Akpah had brought fame and honour to the area, the medical doctors from Atlanta, USA had also shown love to the deprived by offering free medical care to the people in the area.

In recognition of their contribution, the 22nd National Best Farmer, who is into crop farming and livestock rearing, was presented with a kente cloth with his wife, while the doctors were also given traditional beads.

Citations accompanying all of them described them as hard working people who had proved that they really had the district at heart and had lifted it high to the world.

Nene Ahwerebenta urged all citizens in the District to take a cue from Mr Akpah's hard work and branch 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 gratitude to Mr Padi Murphy, also an African-American, who had been enstooled Development Chief by the Council under the name Nii Martey Kwao for having linked them to the area.

He said for their one week stay in the area, he and his team attended to various ailments with some being malaria, diabetes, skin diseases and hypertension.

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

He stressed that once a patient was diagnosed as being hypertensive the drugs intake needed to be continued since it was a silent killer. Nii Martey Kwao indicated that the group intended linking Prampram to the USA to support development in the area, which abounded with rich resources that remained untapped.

As a first step they intend funding 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 by starting on a small note and gradually build on it to expand. Dr Frank Mokwei Addo, an obstetrician/gynaecologist who has opened a clinic, "Modern Women's Clinic" at Prampram says he is networking with the doctors to ensure that the people benefit greatly from the services. 13 March 07