Three days of funeral ceremonies for the BBC presenter Komla Dumor, who died last month in London at the age of 41, are drawing to a close in his home country of Ghana.

A thanksgiving Mass has been held at the capital Accra’s Roman Catholic cathedral, where the journalist’s body lay in state before being buried on Saturday.

Ghanaian President John Mahama has said the nation lost one of its finest ambassadors with the death of Komla Dumor.

“He was very passionate about Africa, he was very passionate about Ghana. I think Komla is one of the gifts we gave to the world,” Mr Mahama told the BBC.

Mr Dumor, who featured in New African magazine’s November 2013 list of 100 most influential Africans, joined the BBC as a radio broadcaster in 2006 after a decade of journalism in Ghana.

He was presenter for BBC World News and its Focus on Africa programme.

Mr Dumor started out as traffic news reporter at the local Joy FM station whilst a university student, and within two years was hosting the station’s breakfast show, becoming a household name.

He developed his reputation as a charismatic presence on radio and television on a global stage when he went on to join the BBC.

He first presented the BBC World Service African breakfast programme, Network Africa, before launching Africa Business Report on BBC World TV.

His death on 18 January after a heart attack at his London home prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the world.

He left a wife and three children.

Former UN chief Kofi Annan, who is Ghanaian, said Africa had lost one of its brightest young talents.

“Komla was an inspirational journalist, always determined to find the facts and report on the truth. I shall miss his smile and wonderful sense of humour,” he said.