The Ghanaian Minaret

Madinah: The first batch of Hajj pilgrims who left Ghana on Saturday afternoon have successfully arrived in Madinah of Saudi Arabia at around 8 pm GMT, thus 11 pm local time.

Ghana’s hajj officials, led by Consul-General of Ghana to Saudi Arabia, Dr Adam Abdul Rahman, welcomed the 425 Ghanaian pilgrims at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Madinah.

The pilgrims were later ushered into their respective hotels around 2am on Sunday, local time.

Airlifting of about 6200 Pilgrims is being carried out in two phases where six flights would be deployed for pilgrims in Tamale and another six flights for the second batch of pilgrims stationed in Accra.

According to the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana, headed by the Ghana Hajj Task Force, the airlifting of pilgrims in the first phase is expected to end on Thursday, May 15, 2025, while the second phase is scheduled to start on Saturday, May 17, 2025, and end on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

Early on, the Minister of Interior, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, who was accompanied by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, delivered a farewell message to prospective Hajj pilgrims at the Tamale Airport on behalf of the President, John Dramani Mahama.

He wished them a safe and peaceful journey and assured them of the highest quality of service, as the interim Hajj task force had made all the necessary and befitting arrangements to ensure their comfort and well-being.

He also implored them to remain steadfast in their prayers in order to obtain Allah’s abundant blessings for Ghana.