Accra, Feb.23, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday said the concept of Property Owning Democracy being advocated by the Government was to infuse self-confidence and self-respect into the Ghanaian to take personal decisions in the country's socio-economic development.

He said the implementation of such a concept would be related to other concepts of development in the world " because both concepts relate to the development of humanity."

President Kufuor made the observation when Mr Alfred Sallia Fawundu, out-going United Nations (UN) Resident Representative in Ghana paid a farewell call on him at the Castle, Osu. Mr Fawundu, a Sierra Leonean, had been in Ghana for the past four-and-a-half years.

President Kufuor commended Mr. Fawundu for his tremendous support to development in Ghana, saying, " you have been such a refreshing change of the UN support for development in Ghana. You are a blessing to our Government, offered support and ideas of manpower development from your background and experience."

President Kufuor said, "you shared confidence with us, identified with us that though you served under the UN you identified yourself with West Africa and worked towards the integration process critically and timely. Such motivation was enough evidence that you are part of our national development efforts."

" I am happy for the progress you are making. I know you will be more relevant to the development in West Africa and I look forward that you will come back to join us in our development efforts," he added. Mr Fawundu was optimistic that on-going developments in Ghana were the light of hope to revive the rest of Africa towards the path of modernisation.

"I am convinced that with the human resources development being oriented for increased agricultural production and services good governance could take hold in Ghana", he added.

The out-going UN Resident Representative said it was a blessing for him to be part of the transition that made history in Ghana during the 2000 elections as well as being part of the Government's efforts to promote Golden Age of Business and implement the concept of Property Owning Democracy in Ghana.

Mr Fawundu said he had been contracted by the UN to research into the "Nexus between Aid and Development-The African Experience".