Mr Prosper Afenyo, a member of the Men's Fellowship of the E.P. Church in Ho, has said former President Jerry John Rawlings laid a sure foundation for the progress of the Volta Region during his days in office.

He said contrary to assertions that Rawlings, who hailed from the Region, did little to enhance its growth, key projects that formed the base for development, were initiated by him.

He cited that the Regional capital got one of two major hospitals he built, which now is a teaching hospital that has birthed the nation's first Health University.

The late President also established a regional agriculture development project and made Volta the only region at the time with three television transmission sites.

Mr Afenyo said the start of the Keta Sea defense project was worth mentioning as one of the legacies of Rawlings, who defied its huge cost to "save Keta till today."

The senior citizen eulogised the late President's life of compassion, which he said was most notably exhibited in his rescue of over two million Ghanaians from Nigeria during the famine of 1983.

"It was the most challenging time for leadership but Rawlings excelled," he said

Mr Afenyo also remembered the former President who came to power through a military coup, for "eliminating" terrorism and serious crime gangs in the country.

He said as Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle, the Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast has appealed to Ghanaians as a form of legacy to the memory of the late former President Rawlings to forgive him, "Rawlings was a human being and not perfect".