Manso-Bonsaaso (Ash), Dec 13, GNA - A two-member team from United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Regional Centre at Bamako in Mali has paid a five-day working visit to Manso-Bonsaaso in the Amansie West District.

They are Mr Eugene Da, Regional Education Co-ordinator and Mr Ibrahim Diallo, Communications Specialist.

Briefing newsmen at Bonsaaso Millennium Village Project (MVP) site, Mr Da said the visit was to afford the team the opportunity to see progress so far made in the project activities in the areas of education, health agriculture, infrastructure, water and sanitation. He said the project was aimed at speeding up the achievements of the MDG and to reduce if not to eradicate extreme poverty in Africa and to promote ownership alliance project with civil society and beneficiary communities.

The team also visited Yaw Kasakrom, Watreso, Keniago, Kobriso, Asaman, Taabosere, Dadeaso, Afraso, Datano and Hiamankwa to inspect the various projects going on and interacted with the traditional rulers, assembly members and the people. Mr Da expressed the team's satisfaction at the projects undertaken by the management and the people and commended them for their good work.

He appealed to the people to invest more in their children's education to justify the huge sums of money the government and other NGOs are spending on the project. Mr Diallo assured the people that the Project had plans to connect the cluster areas with Internet facilities. In all the areas the team visited, the chiefs and people requested for staff quarters for the teachers and to support those who are pursuing courses in teacher training colleges and also give incentive packages to the teachers.

The chiefs said they were not happy about the deplorable nature of roads in the area and appealed to the government and the Project to improve the roads to assist the farmers to transport their produce to marketing centres. The team rounded off their visit with a tour of some tourist sites in Ghana including Lake Bosomtwe and Bonwire, the centre of the kente industry.