Hajj 2024: Ghanaian pilgrims to pay same fee as last year
The Ghana Hajj Board has announced that prospective Ghanaian pilgrims to Mecca this year will pay the same amount as last year, which is GH₵75,000 or the US Dollar equivalent of $6,250.
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The Chairman of the Hajj Board, Mr. Ben Abdallah Banda, announced at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday. He stated that despite the increased cost of Hajj services in Saudi Arabia this year, the Ghana Hajj Board, after careful consideration, has decided not to increase the fees. This decision is also partly due to the relative stability of the Cedi against the US Dollar.
"We hereby officially announce that considering various factors, the cost of this year’s Hajj, regardless of the rising cost of services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, remains GH₵75,000 as it was last year. However, its dollar equivalent has been reduced to $6,250," he added.
Last year, the fee in US Dollars was $6,500, which means pilgrims this year have a reprieve of $250.
Mr. Banda noted that the cost of several services has gone up. However, he added that the board has conducted stringent negotiations to ensure that these increased costs "will not be borne by the pilgrims."
Breaking down what constitutes the price package, the Chairman mentioned that it includes visa acquisition, return flight from Ghana to Saudi Arabia, internal transportation (including from Madina to Makkah, Makkah to Mashaa’ir, Mina, and Arafat, and Mashaa’ir to Makkah and Jeddah airport), accommodation, and feeding in Madina, Makkah, and Mashaair for one month. Other inclusions are 40kilogrammes of luggage without charge, bags, processing of ID Cards, Zamzam water, medical care, security services, and a Hajj guide from the Daawah team to aid in the seamless performance of Hajj rites.
The Chairman also revealed that this year’s Hajj is expected to come with improved services, as facilities at Mina and other places of convergence have been upgraded.
Payment deadline
The Board stressed that considering the number of activities involved in the Hajj processes, such as "presentation of passports to the board, issuance of visas, and the preparation of flight schedules to and fro," the deadline for the payment of the Hajj fare is mid-March 2024.
"Intending pilgrims are hereby encouraged to start payment from today, through their accredited agents who are scattered across the country or directly into the Hajj Board’s account," the Chairman said.
"We should be mindful of the timelines because visa issuance, which commences on the 20th of April 2024, would end on the 20th of May 2024," he added.
Meanwhile, the airlifting of Ghanaian Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia is scheduled to commence from Tamale, tentatively on May 30, 2024, and in Accra on June 8, 2024, while the return flights, also tentatively, will commence on June 28, 2024.