UAE to Fund Hajj Costs for 344 Ghanaian Pilgrims in 2027

The United Arab Emirates will cover the full Hajj expenses of 344 Ghanaian pilgrims for the 2027 season, in a gesture Abu Dhabi says reflects the deepening friendship between the two countries.

A symbolic cheque marking the sponsorship was presented at Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra by the UAE Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Abdulla AlMandous, and Deputy Head of Mission Khalifa Almehrzi, to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The ceremony was witnessed by Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; Yussif Issaka Jajah, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts; and Alhaji Abdul Rauf Ibrahim Tanko, Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board.

The gesture is being carried out under the personal directives of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and will be administered in coordination with the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) otherwise known as the Ghana Hajj Board.

Lifting a heavy financial burden
The timing matters. PAOG confirmed last month that the official fare for the 2027 pilgrimage remains fixed at GH¢60,000 per pilgrim unchanged from 2026 with payments accepted strictly on a first-come, first-served basis until Ghana's national Hajj quota is exhausted. For many intending pilgrims, that fare represents years of saving.

The UAE's sponsorship of 344 slots removes that barrier entirely for the beneficiaries, covering what officials describe as, for many, a long-held dream shared with their families and communities.

In its statement, the UAE framed the initiative as an expression of the values of generosity, tolerance and compassion that it says underpin its engagement with communities worldwide, and situated it within a broader relationship with Ghana built on cooperation across diplomatic, economic, development and people-to-people lines.

Part of a wider pattern
The gesture adds a people-centred dimension to a bilateral relationship that has, until now, largely played out at the level of government and trade. It also fits a familiar pattern of Gulf states using Hajj sponsorship as a tool of religious diplomacy and soft power across sub-Saharan Africa reinforcing ties with Muslim-majority communities in West Africa's Sahel-adjacent states, including Ghana's own Zongo communities, at a moment when Gulf, Turkish and other external actors are all competing for religious and cultural influence on the continent.

For the 344 Ghanaians selected, the outcome is more immediate and personal: a spiritual journey that will now take place without the weight of its cost.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,
International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)
[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
Ghana News Agency: "UAE to sponsor Hajj pilgrimage for 344 Ghanaians in 2027"

MyJoyOnline: "UAE to cover Hajj expenses for 344 Ghanaian pilgrims in 2027"

Yen.com.gh: "UAE to Sponsor 344 Ghanaian Pilgrims for 2027 Hajj Season Under Sheikh Mohamed's Directive"

CitiNewsroom: "Ghana Hajj Board maintains GH¢60k fare for 2027 pilgrimage"

BusinessGhana / Adomonline / Hajj Reporters (wire coverage of the GNA report)