# Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng

Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng FGA (born 1949) is a Ghanaian physician and cardiothoracic surgeon who established the National Cardiothoracic Center in Accra, Ghana and the Ghana Red Cross Society. He is also the president of the Ghana Heart Foundation and was the chief executive officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
A well-known figure in his country, Frimpong-Boateng was elected a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in December 2002.

## Career

Frimpong-Boateng attended Sekondi College in Ghana. Young Frimpong-Boateng studied physics and mathematics with the hope of becoming an engineer. However, he decided to pursue a career as Doctor after being offered a scholarship to study medicine in Germany. Prior to his birth, Frimpong-Boateng's father, Kofi Frimpong, died from heart injuries sustained from a road accident. Boateng's motivation therefore was to become a heart surgeon, so he could help heal people with heart related conditions. After finishing his post-graduate studies, he returned home and became Ghana's first locally based cardiothoracic surgeon.
In 1992, he set up the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. There were no cardiothoracic surgery facilities in the country at the time, so his aim for establishing the center was to train more surgeons and provide care to patients.
He joined the University of Ghana Medical School as a lecturer in 2000 and got promoted to associate professor same year. He was made a full professor in 2002. He also served as head of the department of surgery at the school, prior to his appointment as the chief executive officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in 2002. He was elected to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in December 2002 and gave his inaugural lecture the following year. Frimpong-Boateng also runs a charitable foundation, the Ghana Heart Foundation, which is responsible for paying for heart surgeries for poor patients with support from his donors.

## Politics

In March 2006, Frimpong-Boateng announced his intention to seek the nomination as the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the December 2008 National Presidential Elections. Documentaries were made about his life and his hopes, but at the end, the candidate elected was Nana Akufo-Addo.
Regardless of his result, he declared he is still concerned with political issues in relation to education and health problems. He would later regret that political corruption in Ghana was too much and said that in his opinion politicians were not taking social priorities into account, especially the need of technology. After the 2016 election, he was appointed as the minister for Environment and natural resource, a position he acted in from the year 2017 to 2021.

## Involvements

In November 2018, Frimpong-Boateng, address the World Summit Awards Grand in Accra, Ghana, and indicated his indicated his desire to use technology to transform the country.

## Achievements

* 1992 – Established the National Cardio Thoracic Centre which is now recognised by the West African College of Surgeons to train heart surgeons, cardiologists, cardiac anaesthetists, operating room nurses, intensive care nurses, cardiac technicians, and other cardiothoracic technicians.(1992)
* Performed the first open-heart surgery in Ghana using the heart-lung-machine.
* Established the Ghana Heart Foundation to raise funds to assist those who cannot afford the cost of heart surgery.
* 1999 – Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) Marketing Man of the Year.
* 10 September 2004 – Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Education, Winneba.

## Awards

* Certificate of appreciation from Orphanage International Ministry in recognition of humanitarian service to Cardio Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and to society in Ghana at large especially orphan children 27 July 2002.
* Recognition award from Soviet (CIS) trained doctors association for devoted and meritorious service to Ghana, 5 December 2001.
* Certificate of Distinction from Sapphire Ghana Ltd. For outstanding contribution to National Development, August 1999.
* Award from Enterprise Insurance Company, Ghana in recognition of efforts, achievements, perseverance and success, 1999.
* Millennium Excellence Award Recipient as personality of the decade, December 1999.
* Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana, Marketing Man of the Year 1999.
* Co-recipient of the 2003 special award from the Ghana Chartered Institute of Marketing to the Centre for Technology-Driven Economic Development (CTED).
* Recognition award from the civil service of Ghana for meritorious services rendered to the Ghana Civil Service and the people of Ghana, 1998.
* St Luke's Day award from the Sr. Michael and All Saints Anglican Church Korle Gonno, Accra, Ghana for distinguished service as a medical doctor in the service of the Lord, 1993.
* Nobles International Award in recognition of status as an eminent West African who believes in Honesty, Integrity and Accountability, 28 November 2003.
* UN Volunteers Certificate of appreciation in recognition of voluntary contribution to national development, International Voluntary Day, 5 December 2005.
* Asante of Honour Award presented by Otumfuo, Asantehene, 25 November 2005.
* Personality of the year award 2004, by the People of the Western Region of Ghana for outstanding contribution towards the Development and promotion of Ghana, Sept 2005.
* Personality of the Decade, awarded by the Millennium Excellence Foundation 2005.
* Legend of the Year, awarded at the 2017 People's Choice Practitioners Honours organised by Media Men Ghana.

## Personal life

Frimpong-Boateng and his wife, Agnes, have five children, one of whom is a promising athlete.
Frimpong-Boateng is a farmer. He established the first ostrich farm in Ghana, in the village of Dedukope, in the Volta Region. He also grows jatropha for the production of bio-diesel. Frimpong-Boateng runs a CNC machine tool centre that is able to produce spare parts with computer precision at the Free Zones enclave in the port city of Tema.
He is a Christian. He has said that his work on the foundation of the National Cardiothoracic Centre was God's purpose in his life to do and he believes that was his purpose of creation and he is grateful, and has declared that Ghana needs a "God-fearing" man to lead the country. He has quoted Albert Einstein saying: "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details." In 2011, in his 60s, he considered himself still a strong man with passion "by God’s grace."

## Publications

* Frimpong-Boateng, Kwabena (2000). Deep down my heart: A history of cardiothoracic surgery in Ghana. Accra: K. Frimpong-Boateng. ISBN 978-9988-0-0398-2. OCLC 50006257.
* Frimpong-Boateng, Kwabena, Samuel K. Owusu, J. O. M. Pobee (2006), Medicine, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. ISBN 9964969201; 9789964969202
* Frimpong-Boateng, Kwabena (2015), "Taming a Monster".