President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday said Ghana would leave no stone unturned to ensure that every US dollar in the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) was well utilised to reduce poverty and bring improvement in the lives of the people.

He said the choice of Ghana for the programme placed on Government the onerous responsibility to avoid complacency and account for every dollar contributed by US citizens into the account.

President Mills made the remark at a meeting with Mr Daniel Yohannes, Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), who led a delegation from the MCC and the Millennium Development Authority (MIDA) to pay a courtesy call on him at the Osu Castle in Accra.

Under the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact signed in August 2006, the United States of America (USA) is committing an amount of $ 547 million to Ghana for key investments in agriculture, transportation and rural development, with the aim of alleviating poverty and improving standards of living in beneficiary communities.

The success of the programme in Ghana is expected to be used as a model on other developing countries.

President Mills said honesty, transparency and accountability should underpin the operation of the compact.

He commended the strong ties between the US and Ghana and observed that the visit of US President Barack Obama demonstrated the strong ties between the two nations.

The President noted the strong diplomatic ties between the two countries and assistance through the United States Agency for International Development, adding "the MCC is the icing on the cake".

President Mills expressed confidence in the managers of the Compact, and assured the Corporation that Ghana would continue in the path it had charted so far to make her a real model.

Mr Yohannes said the MCC was satisfied with the progress so far with the implementation of the Compact.

Sixty-five schools have so far been built, and with two years more to go, he expressed the hope that Ghana would be successful to become a model.

Mr Yohannes said he was impressed with the packaging of pineapples on an inspection at an MCA site at Pakro in the Eastern Region and described private participation in the Compact as high.

Prof Samuel Sefah Dede, Chairman of the MCA Board, Mr Martin Esson-Benjamin, Chief Executive Officer of the MIDA, accompanied the delegation.