The National Hajj Board says it will push for an investigation into the GHc 24 million Hajj debt owed by the previous board to the Saudi Arabian government.
At a press conference the Chairman of the Hajj Board, Sheikh I C Quaye said part of the debt was owed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which meant Ghana could forfeit its Hajj slot.
[contextly_sidebar id=”UHWdt792u9F5mTNsGJKAt1mlc5u1RJ29″]“The chairman of the previous Hajj Board, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko, has presented a handover notes to the new board with a debt overhang of almost GHc 25 million being outstanding payment to be in respect of 2015 and 2016 Hajj.”
“But pilgrims must rest assured that a solution has been found and the pilgrimage to Mecca shall surely come off as planned. The appropriate state institutions shall take over the debt issue for further investigation,” he added.
The chairman added that in spite of the crippling debt, the board has maintained the cost of the hajj package at $3,450 dollars an equivalent of GHc 15, 000 which will come with additional incentives.
As part of measures by the board to ensure a successful Hajj, he indicated that six flights will airlift pilgrims from the three regions of the north.
He said “the Tamale International Airport will be used to lift pilgrims from the Northern part of the country.”
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By: Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana