New York City -- On Wednesday, September 20th, President Kufour hosted a grand farewell reception in honour of Kofi Atta Annan, UN Secretary-General at the famous Waldorf Astoria in New York. The Invitation-Only reception was attended by; Heads of States, dignitaries, business executives, community leaders and the press. The UN Secretary-General who was accompanied by his wife, Nane Annan, thanked the President for the honour. He also thanked the Ghanaian community and the world for all the support. He paid tribute to his wife who had gone through many difficult moments with him. He was proud of his upbringing in Kumasi and the valuable lessons he had learned growing up. He also recollected some of the proverbs he learned as a young man. In his remark; he said; "Upon all the travels around the world and everything I had done, deep down in my heart I still remain a Ghanaian" - This powerful remark drew a huge around of applause and shouts from attendees. Mrs Annan on her part thanked the Ghanaian community and the world for all the enormous support. She shared some the funniest proverbs she had learned from her husband and was looking forward to spend the retirement with family and friends. Mr. Kofi Atta Annan made history as the first Ghanaian to be elected UN Secretary-General in 1996. Prior to that he had worked for the UN for 30 years. On September 19, 2006, he opened his last UN General Assembly session. Mr. Annan's tenure ends in December 2006.