From fish-shaped coffins to slaughtered bulls, funerals in Africa are lavish affairs, providing a lucrative opportunity for insurance companies looking for business in some of the world's fastest growing economies. High death rates and low savings levels mean funeral insurance is proving an easier sell among people daunted by the cost of ceremonies that can stretch to several months of income.
Africa's Booming Funeral Business
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A carpenter puts the finishing touches to a wooden coffin at a roadside workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, May 20, 2013.
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The owner of a funeral services shop stands in front of his shop near the mortuary of Yopougon in Abidjan, May 22, 2013.
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Pallbearers carry a coffin through a cemetery during a funeral ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, May 31, 2013.
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Family members of a deceased person walk along a road near a cemetery during a funeral ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, May 31, 2013.