Asankragwa (B/A) April 04, GNA - Five communities in the Asankragwa Forest District in Western region have benefited from a 2.3-billion cedi fund approved by the Community Investment Fund of the Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas.

The beneficiary communities are Amuni, Simpa, Kwamensa, Sikaneasem and Mbease Nsuta.

Kasapreko Kwame Bassanyin III, national board chairman of the Fund, disclosed during a tour of the beneficiary communities to acquaint himself with progress of the high forest biodiversity conservation project in the area and to share ideas with the people to help find solutions to their challenges.

He explained that the Fund was aimed at assisting the people living in the fringes of the Fure headwaters and Fure forest reserves to engage in alternative livelihood projects to avoid depending on the forest for their economic needs.

Kasapreko Bassanyin, who is paramount chief of Wasa Amenfi Traditional Area, said 66 groups made up of 858 individual were variously engaged in cocoa farming, trading, grasscutter and snail rearing, livestock, palm plantation, vegetable production and timber nursery.

The chief commended the World Bank and the government for initiating the project and appealed to chiefs in and around the biodiversity conservation areas to enact bye-laws to protect the forests.

He appealed to the beneficiary communities to work hard to make their projects financially viable so they could repay loans granted them on schedule to enable other groups to benefit.

Kasapreko Bassanyin assured the communities, he would meet their bankers for an amicable solution to the high interest rates charged on their loans. Mr. Kenneth Nimoh, Asankragwa Forest District Manager, advised members of the community fund management committee to be impartial in the discharge of their duties in order to help alleviate poverty among the fringe communities.

He charged members of the committee to work in a transparent manner and to resist the temptation of diverting funds for their personal gains. 04 April 07