Sam Quaicoe laid to rest.

Accra, May 2, GNA- Burial took place on Saturday at the Osu Cemetery of the late Samuel Boniface Quaicoe, former General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) Mr. Quaicoe, who until his death was the Director of Studies at the African Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), died at the age of 64 at the Korle-Bu Hospital on March 12, after a short illness. Earlier, a memorial service held at the Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church at Dansoman, Accra, was attended by family members, friends and sympathisers.

The Reverend Father Ignatius Ayivor, delivering a sermon at the service, advised Christians to ensure that the work they did benefited other people in the society.

"We need to use our time to work for the safety of others, for that is the only way our lives will have value."

He said the late Quaicoe was someone who devoted his time for the needs of other people and advised the congregation to endeavour to work for the good of others.

Rev. Ayivor said it was a reality that one was born, grew and died one day, and advised Christians to remain strong in the face of a dead relative. "As we see Quaicoe laying down in front of us today, the same thing will occur to us one day," he added.

He said death, which separates the physical component of a person from the living, is not the end of man, saying, "Samuel is still alive in the presence of the Lord. We can communicate with him in spirit."

Rev Ayivor said the earth is a transient point to eternity and reminded Christians to bear in mind that the death of the righteous is a key to eternity.

The late Quaicoe joined the Ghana News Agency as Research Writer and rose through the ranks by dint of hard work to become the United Nations Correspondent, Editor, Senior Editor; Chief Editor (Home Desk), and crowned it with the position of General Manager from 1995 to 2000.

He was appointed Chief Press Secretary to the Office of the President in 1979 during the Limann Administration, a post he held until 1982.

The late Quaicoe served at various times as a member of the Board of Directors of both the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the National Media Commission.

Between 1965 and 1970 he was a member of the United Nations Correspondents Association for which he served twice as secretary in 1967 and 1968.

The late Quaicoe joined the AIJC as its first Director of Studies in August 2000 after his retirement from the GNA. He graduated in History at the University of Ghana after his secondary education at the Opoku Ware Secondary School, became a Barrister-at Law and won a UNESCO Fellowship in Communication and Research, which took him to the University of Leicester, England from 1972 to 1973.

In his days of active Journalism practice, the late Quaicoe was a familiar face on many of Ghana Television programmes, including "Talking Point".

He co-authored a book titled "Manual of News Agency Journalism: The