Regional Minister lauds Millennium Village Project
Manso-Nkwanta (Ash), Sept. 30, GNA - The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Kofi Opoku-Manu, has lauded the UN Millennium Village Cluster Project for the good job it is doing to improve the lives of rural poor in the Amansie West District.
Speaking after an inspection tour of the cluster, he said it was a significant intervention that needed to be supported.
The “Millennium Villages” are an investment towards a sustainable end to extreme poverty.
It is an initiative by the UN that seeks to remove poverty by working with the poorest of the poor throughout Africa in partnership with governments and other stakeholders, providing affordable and science-based solutions to help the people lift themselves from severe poverty.
In Ghana Bonsaaso in Amansie West District was selected for the project, bringing under its cluster 30 contiguous rural communities with a total population of more than 30,000 people engaged primarily in cocoa growing and subsistence farming.
Projects Mr Opoku-Manu inspected included a GH¢77,000 clinic at Dome-Asaman, a GH¢55,000 agricultural storage facility at Gyegyetreso-Dawusaso, the One laptop per child and Teachers bungalow at Bonsaaso and the Watreso Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre.
The minister said he was impressed with what he saw and urged both the district assembly and Manso-Nkwanta Traditional Council to take keen interest in the project and ensure its sustainability.
Mr Samuel Asare Afram, the Millennium Cluster Manager, said its agricultural strategy was focusing on providing farmers with increased access to hybrid seeds and fertilizers and extension services to diversify and expand income generation.