The National Hajj Board has maintained this year’s hajj fare at GH¢75,000, an equivalent of $6,250, same as last year.The first batch of pilgrims are expected to be airlifted to Mecca, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 29, this year....CONTINUE READING
The board announced this at a media briefing in Accra yesterday to open the 2024 Hajj season and urged prospective pilgrims to pay the fare by mid-March to facilitate the processing of their documents and other arrangements.
The Chairman of the board, Alhaji Ben Abdallah Banda, said 4,000 Muslims had been earmarked to undertake the annual Islamic pilgrimage this year.
He said regardless of the rising cost of services in Saudi Arabia, the board had decided to maintain the fare, while the dollar equivalent had also been reduced to $6,250. Alhaji Banda said the fare, as was the case last year, included visa acquisition, return flight, transportation from Madina to Mina and Arafat, as well as the Jeddah Airport.
The others are accommodation and feeding at Madina, Makkah and Mashaa’ir, cumulatively for one month, including 40 kilogrammes luggage without charge.
The rest are expenses for identity cards, zamzam, medical care, security and a Hajj guide from the Daawah team to aid in seamless performance of the rites. PaymentThe chairman advised prospective pilgrims to pay their money directly to any of the 43 accredited agents to avoid being swindled by quacks.”Intending pilgrims are to start payment from today through their accredited agents who are scattered across the country or directly to the board’s account,” he said.
Alhaji Banda also said visa issuance would start on April 20 and end on May 20, while airlifting of pilgrims would start in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital on May 30, and in Accra on June 8, while return flights would begin tentatively on June 28, 2024.CautionThe chairman asked prospective pilgrims to conduct business only with the board since it was the body the Saudi Arabia authorities had mandated to organise and manage the affairs of Ghanaian pilgrims.
“Paying money to any other person not recognised by the board is at your own peril,” he said, adding that those who wanted to embark on the pilgrimage using tourist visa should be mindful of the fact that it was illegal to do so according to the law.
