The government has lowered the fare for Ghanaian Muslims planning to undertake the annual Hajj pilgrimage, reducing it from GH₵75,000 to GH₵62,000.
This decision fulfills a key promise made by President John Mahama during his 2024 election campaign. It is anticipated that the reduction in fare will raise Ghana’s quota for Muslims attending the Hajj pilgrimage.
At a press conference on Wednesday, February 5, following a meeting with Saudi officials, Collins Dauda, MP for Asutifi South and chairman of the five-member interim Hajj task force, discussed the government’s plans to tackle current challenges related to the pilgrimage.
“During the 2024 presidential electioneering campaign, John Dramani Mahama, the President of Ghana, pledged to the Muslim community that if he won the elections, he would do everything possible to reduce the hajj fare. That was to enable our Muslim brothers and sisters to perform the Hajj at a reduced fare. He also committed himself to making Hajj accessible and affordable. We will recall that last year, the fare was set at GH₵75,000.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that President Mahama has been able to honor this commitment. He set up a task force made up of four Muslims to participate in the Hajj conference which took place in January in Saudi Arabia and to also have the opportunity to engage our service providers in Saudi Arabia, specifically in Mecca and Madina.
“Through diligent negotiations and collaborations, the task force has successfully secured a significant reduction in the Hajj fare for 2025. Upon the advice of the president, the fare for 2025 Hajj has been set at GH₵62,000, which is equivalent to $4130.”
