National Hajj Council (Ghana)

Last updated
Ghana Hajj village 2017.jpg
Entrance to the Ghana Hajj Village near Kotoka International Airport
Agency overview
Parent agencyPilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana
Website hajj.org.gh

National Hajj Council (also National Hajj Committee or Ghana Hajj Secretariat or Ghana Hajj Board) is a division under the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was set up to oversee the annual airlifting of Ghanaian Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. [1] [2]

Contents

Cost of Hajj

The cost of Hajj per head experience frequent fluctuations, falling in some years and rising in others mainly due to the instability of the Ghanaian cedi. When pegged against the US dollar however the unit cost kept changing depending on other factors like exchange rate, flight ticket among others

YearCost
(US dollar)(Ghanaian cedi)
2023 [3] 6,50075,000
2022 [4] 5,00039,000
2021 [5] Cancelled due to Covid-19Cancelled due to Covid-19 [6]
2020 [7] Cancelled due to Covid-19Cancelled due to Covid-19 [8]
2019 [9] 3,75019,500
2018 [10] 3,45015,000
2017 [11] 3,45015,000
2016 [12] 3,50011, 900
2015 [13] 3,45011,900
2014 [14] 3,45012,000
2013 [15] 3,4506,800

Leadership

Leadership of the National Hajj Council is appointed by President of Ghana in consultation with the Chief Imam of Ghana. [16] Over the years different government administrations have reorganized leadership structure of the Hajj facilitation body under various names.

2017 reconstitution

Akuffo-Addo government in 2017 reconstituted the erstwhile Hajj Committee into three major units supervised by an eleven-member board. Note 1 The three units are Medical, Communications and an Information Technology directorate; the latter tasked with the responsibility to build and deploy a technology infrastructure to manage all Hajj operations.

Chronology of leaders

Office(s)OfficeholderTerm startTerm end
Board Chairman Ben Abdallah Banda [17] February 2023
Board Chairman Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye [18] February 2017January 2023
Board ChairmanAbdul Rauf Ibrahim Tanko [19] January 2013January 2016
Board Chairman Alhassan Bene [20] 20092012

Notes

1. ^Note 1 The following persons support leadership of the 2017 Hajj team: Sadique (PhD) - adviser to board chairman, and Gariba Malik - Passport issues.

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