The Ghana Manganese Company has increased its community assistance budget from 500 million cedis to 700 million cedis for this year.

The funds are meant for the construction of school buildings; KVIP's; markets; day care centres; bore holes; extension of electricity to some communities and financing other income generating projects selected by the communities.

Mr Jurgen Eijgendaal, Managing Director of GMC, said 16 communities in the company's operational area would be the beneficiaries of the development funds.

''Communities select and submit their own projects to the GMC and the Essuoso Divisional Stool Council, who assess the needs, problems and wishes of the community before releasing materials from the fund for the project.''

Mr Eijgendaal, however, expressed regret that out of the 16 community projects initiated last year only seven had been completed.

"Unless old projects are completed new ones cannot be started.''

Mr Eijgendaal said GMC, in collaboration with the Centre for Biodiversity Utilisation and Development (CBUD), had begun training the people in snail farming, mushroom cultivation and rearing of grass cutter as an alternative source of livelihood.