Hajj 2024 Fee: Board maintains GH75,000 Cedis paid last year

The Ghana Hajj Board has announced that prospective Ghanaian pilgrims to Mecca this year will pay the same amount as last year, which is GH 75,000 Cedis, or the US dollar equivalent of $6,250.

Announcing the fee at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Hajj Board, Hon. Ben Abdallah Banda, said despite the increased cost of Hajj services in Saudi Arabia this year, the Ghana Hajj Board, after careful consideration, has decided not to increase the fees, partly due to the relative stability of the Cedi against the US Dollar.

“Yesterday we engaged with one of our important stakeholders, the Hajj Agents Association, and briefed members about this year’s Hajj,” the chairman said.

“We hereby officially announce that, considering various factors, the cost of this year’s Hajj, regardless of the rising cost of services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, remains GHC 75,000 as it was last year. However, its dollar equivalent has been reduced to $6,250,” he added.

Last year, the fee in US dollars was $6500, which means pilgrims this year have a reprieve of $250.

Ben Abdallah Banda noted that the cost of a number of services has gone up. He, however, added that the board has done stringent negotiations that have ensured that these increased costs “will not be borne by the pilgrims.”

Breaking down what constitute the price package, the Chairman said it include: visa acquisition, return flights from Ghana to Saudi Arabia, internal transportation, including from Madina to Makkah and Makkah to Mashaa’ir
(Mina and Arafat), Mashaa’ir to Makkah, and Jeddah airport. The rest are accommodations and
feeding at Madina, Makkah and Mashaair for one month; 40 kg
luggage without charge, bags, processing of ID cards, Zamzam water, medical care, security services, and Hajj guides from the Daawah team to aid in the seamless performance of Hajj rites.

The Chairman also revealed that this year’s Hajj is expected to come with improved service as facilities at Mina and other places of convergence have been improved.

PAYMENT DEADLINE

The Board stressed that considering the number of activities involved in the Hajj processes, such as “presentation of passports to the board, the issuance of visas, and the preparation of flight schedules to and fro,” the deadline for the payment of the Hajj fare is mid-March 2024.

“Intending pilgrims are hereby encouraged to start payment today, either through their accredited agents who are scattered across the country or directly into the Hajj Board’s account,” the chairman said.

“We should be mindful of the timelines because visa issuance, which commences on April 20, 2024, will end on May 20, 2024,” he added.

Meanwhile, the airlifting of Ghanaian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia is scheduled to commence from Tamale, tentatively, on May 30, 2024, and in Accra on June 8, 2024, while the return flights, also tentatively, will commence on June 28, 2024.