The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: The Zakat and Sadaqa Trust Fund, an Islamic nongovernmental charity organisation, has, at the end of the year 2023, recorded a total income of GH₵1,096,079, representing a 6 percent decrease from GH₵1,165,675 raised in 2022.

The decrease was attributed mainly to a decline in Sadaqa receipts due to the absence of a one-time cash donation that was received in 2022.

“In 2022, the Trust Fund experienced a significant increase in revenue, largely due to a generous, one-time cash donation from a well-meaning philanthropist,” explained the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Fund in the recently released 2023 Annual Report and Financial Statement.

According to the report, the expenditure for the year under review increased by 7.9 percent from GH₵909,733 in 2022 to GH₵981,998 in 2023 despite a 0.4 percent decrease in charitable disbursement and a 29.8 percent decrease in general and administrative expenses.

The expenditure increase was mainly driven by an 83.2 percent increase in staff cost, which rose from GH₵161,763 in 2022 to GH₵296,396 in 2023.

A breakdown revealed that the high staff costs were necessitated by an increase in wages and salaries (GH₵254,085), social security contributions (GH₵22,904), and staff loan repayment (₵12,848), which rose by 99.8 percent, 73.6 percent, and 58.4 percent, respectively, from the previous year’s figures.

Unlike 2022, where Sadaqa receipts were the highest contributor to income, the Zakat receipts for 2023 were the leading contributor to revenue, followed by Sadaqa receipts and other income.

The annual report and financial statement showed that Zakat receipts for 2023 were GH₵616,528, while Sadaqa receipts were GH₵467,351 and other income was GH₵12,200.

The fund was originally an initiative of the Muslim caucus of parliament. It was launched in 2010 in collaboration with the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, and imams of the various Muslim sects.

It was to serve as a conduit for Muslims in Ghana to provide humanitarian services and improve the welfare of the needy through the prompt and regular payment of zakat and other voluntary acts of charity, also known as Sadaqa.