President Mahama reduces Hajj fare from GH¢75,000 to GH¢62,000

The Interim Hajj Taskforce constituted by the President, John Dramani Mahama has announced a new fare for the 2025 Hajj season.

Potential pilgrims are expected to pay an amount of $4,130 (GH¢62,000), which represents a 17.3 per cent reduction from the previous year's fare of $6,500 (GH¢75,000).

The Chairman of the Hajj Taskforce, Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda made the announcement at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday.

The taskforce also announced an accumulated debt of $5,409,526.66 (GHC81,142,899.90) left behind by the previous government.

The reduction in the new fare, according to the Chairman, was based on the advice of President John Dramani Mahama to reflect his commitment to ensuring that Hajj is affordable for the average Ghanaian Muslim.

The President’s commitment is in fulfilment of a promise made to the Muslim community in the run-up to the 2024 General election.

The taskforce took advantage of the recent Hajj conference in Saudi Arabia to renegotiate with Ghana’s service providers which led to favourable agreements.

Through diligent negotiations and collaborations, the taskforce successfully secured a significant reduction in the hajj fare for 2025.

This certainly represents a substantial decrease from the previous $6,500 to $4,130. The Interim Chairman disclosed that the government would initiate an investigation to unravel the circumstances leading to the accumulated debt.

The debt entailed $446,933 to catering service providers, $4,429,260 to Flynas, and about $533,333 for education and teaching services.