A group calling itself Concerned Muslims has urged the government to announce the fees for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage without further delay, describing the prolonged silence on the matter as unacceptable.
The group in a statement on Monday, February 3, pointed out that other West African countries are far ahead in their preparations. They emphasized that the newly established Hajj Task Force, announced by President John Mahama, returned from Saudi Arabia about two weeks ago after negotiating with service providers and officially signing up for the Hajj. Despite this, the government has yet to make the fees public.
The Concerned Muslims expressed worry over what they described as a lack of communication and inaction by the government. They stressed that the Hajj pilgrimage is a sacred religious obligation that many Ghanaian Muslims aspire to undertake. Given the significant financial commitment required for the journey, they argued that prospective pilgrims need ample time to prepare financially.
The group also questioned whether the delay in announcing the fees was due to challenges in fulfilling the government’s electoral promise to drastically reduce the cost from the GHȼ75,000 charged last year. Citing recent media reports, they suggested that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and President Mahama are struggling to find the necessary subsidies to fulfill this promise, they should be transparent about the situation so that pilgrims can plan accordingly.
