The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama, on Friday cut the sod for the construction of a state-of-the-art Hajj village to provide a dignifying experience and conducive environment for Hajj pilgrims in Accra.

The facility, when completed within a scheduled period of 24 months, will include a mosque, clinic, conference spaces, residential accommodation, terminal building, offices, a market and a catering centre.

The construction project is executed by Messrs MAWUMS Construction.

Speaking at the ceremony, the president said pilgrims embarking on the sacred journey of hajj with dignity and in a conducive environment had been of great concern to him as a public servant.

Recounting his experience as a vice president in 2009, he said he discovered a pathetic situation where hajj pilgrims slept in the open at the El-Wak Sports Stadium while awaiting their flights.

“Many of them were bitten by mosquitoes and came down with malaria even before boarding their flights for the Holy Land,” he said.

Since then, he said there had been interventions to improve the hajj experience for Ghanaian pilgrims despite it not being the best.

“My dear brothers and sisters, as I said, this project is for the welfare of all Muslims, notwithstanding political affiliation. And it is my fervent hope that we’ll gather again here once more, 24 months from now, to commission this beautiful edifice to the glory of Allah,” he said.

He announced that a hajj board will be constituted next year and the government had facilitated a pre-finance arrangement with a local bank and paid deposits for accommodation, transport and other facilities.

“I have instructed the Hajj task force that they should cut off at exactly 5,000 and not go beyond 5,000. We don’t want the previous situation where people rush with late payments and we are unable to airlift them and they come complaining,” he said.

The ceremony attracted Muslim dignitaries from all the sects and officials of the Ghana Airport Company Limited.

Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, the Minister of Transport, commended the president for his long-standing dedication to improving the aviation sector.

These, he said, included the construction of Terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport, the building of the Tamale airport to directly airlift hajj pilgrims and the construction of the Ho airport, which would be used for training.

Alhaji Collins Dauda described the president as a blessing to the Muslim community, as he has shown dedication to improving the living standards of the Muslim community.

He explained that from his days as vice president, the president has been of immense benefit to the Muslim communities, as he was instrumental in getting Muslims a temporary hajj village near EL – Wak stadium and reducing hajj fares for pilgrims.

The new site for the hajj village was secured in a land swap agreement with the Ghana Airport Company Limited.

In November 2009, Mr Mahama, the then Vice President of Ghana, inaugurated the first Hajj Village near the El-Wak Stadium in Accra.

Facilities at the Hajj Village included a 500-capacity air-conditioned tent for pilgrims, washrooms, places for the performance of ablution, a clinic and offices for the NHC and immigration officers.

The Hajj Village was relocated from the El-Wak Stadium to the Kotoka International Airport after an Allied Air, Boeing 727-200 cargo plane operated by a Nigerian company crashed during landing at the former Hajj Village on June 2, 2012.

On September 27, 2012, the newly constructed Hajj Village at the Kotoka International Airport area was opened to pilgrims.

In August 2016, pilgrims from the Northern, Upper East and West regions for the first time converged and flew from the Tamale Airport to reduce the burden and pressure on officials at the Hajj Village in Accra.

A year later, MTN, a telecommunications operator, renovated the Hajj village at the Kotoka International Airport at a cost of GH₵230,000.

The facility was handed over to the Ghana Hajj Board to enable the board to create a conducive and comfortable lodging place for Hajj pilgrims.