By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, June 21, GNA – Mr Ali Adolf John, Northern Regional Minister, has welcomed the first batch of Ghanaian pilgrims returning from the 2025 Hajj at the Yakubu Tali International Airport in Tamale.
He was accompanied by Alhaji Collins Dauda, Chairman of the Hajj Board, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, and Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini, Director of Corporate Communication, Hajj Board.
Mr John commended the pilgrims for conducting themselves peacefully while in Mecca and expressed gratitude for the prayers and supplications they offered on behalf of the country.
He said the successful organization of this year’s Hajj reflected the government’s unwavering commitment to supporting citizens and promoting the religious freedoms and beliefs of all Ghanaians.
Alhaji Dauda on his part, said about 6,000 Ghanaian pilgrims were airlifted to Mecca beginning May 10, 2025.
He said “This year’s Hajj has been divinely unique. Initially, we signed up for only 5,000 pilgrims but due to the reduction in fares from GHc75,000 to GHc62,000, an additional 1,000 people registered for the pilgrimage.”
He said the final flight out of the total 14 that left Ghana for Saudi Arabia was expected to arrive in the country by June 27.
Alhaji Dauda reaffirmed government’s commitment to making the Hajj more accessible to Ghanaian Muslims through further reductions in travel costs, enabling more of the faithful to fulfill one of the key pillars of Islam.
He also praised the pilgrims for being exemplary ambassadors of Ghana during their stay in Mecca and extended appreciation to President John Mahama and all stakeholders, who contributed to the successful organization of the 2025 Hajj.
Professor Abdul-Halim Abubakar, Vice Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, one of the pilgrims, expressed appreciation to the Hajj Board and government for their efforts.
He said: “I’m very happy about the peaceful nature of this year’s Hajj, and I’m grateful to Almighty Allah for giving me and thousands of others the opportunity to participate.”
He added that “Hajj is a divine calling by Allah, and I feel honoured to be amongst those called this year. It has been a profound spiritual experience where both the rich and the poor gather in unity to worship Allah.”
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Lydia Kukua Asamoah