Veteran broadcaster and actor, George Yaw Okyere has said that funerals are a huge business in Ghana.

This, according to him, is due to the finances involved in organising a funeral.

The veteran actor explained on Prime Morning that the majority of people involved in funeral activities make their living from the funds generated.

"Funeral is big business. People who have delved into it will tell you that it commands a huge sum of money. People earn their living through that. Talk about from the mortuary, the undertakers, those who make caskets, and those who make wreaths…" he said.

He thinks the current trend of funerals is an elevation of the previous style of organisation.

The actor also stated that it is a belief that the soul of a dead person can rest when he or she has been given a befitting burial. This, he said, is the reason the Akans prioritise funerals.

"If you give them a funeral that portrays them in the best light, that elevates them to the status of a very important personality. It means you sent them off in grand style, and so it kind of appeases them. So when they go, they can always smile back at you."

Yaw Okyere also said people perform funeral rites because they believe it is the right thing to do for the dead and to reap benefits from the rites.

Talking about why some tribes organise a week of observation after a person dies, the veteran broadcaster said it affords the bereaved family enough time to plan the final funeral rites.

Funeral is a way of transitioning into the other world. It is an occasion to bring people both within and from outside the family together. It is a ceremony intended to honour a dead person.

Due to the significance of funerals, family members who might have travelled outside the country return to mourn and say farewell to their dead friend or relative, regardless of the situation.