Kumasi, Sept 17, GNA- Promoting Partnership with Traditional Authorities Project (PPTAP), a World Bank sponsored project, is to construct 40 classroom blocks in all the 18 districts in the Ashanti Region.

In addition, boreholes, teachers' bungalows, school parks and places of convenience will also be provided for the beneficiary communities.

The project, which was initiated by the World Bank following an appeal by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, aims at providing direct financial assistance to traditional authorities to undertake development projects.

A five million-dollar grant has been released by the World Bank to the Asantehene to pilot the project in all the traditional councils in Ashanti.

Briefing members of the traditional council in Kumasi on Wednesday, Mr Kofi Krah Mensah, Project Manager, said the project will include health educational campaign programmes especially on the HIV/AIDS to educate the people on the dangers of the disease. He said culture, traditions and tourism in the region will be promoted and the various traditional judicial proceedings and judgements coded and preserved for future generations.

He said the beneficiary communities are expected to pay 10 percent of the total cost of the project and appealed to the chiefs to embrace the project and give their maximum support to it.

Daasebre Osei Bonsu, Paramount Chief of the Asante-Mampong Traditional Area, said the chiefs have a critical role to play to ensure that the project succeeds in view of the controversy the grant generated in the country.