Government Reduces 2025 Hajj Fare to GH₵62,000 After Successful Negotiations

The government has announced a reduction in the cost of the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, bringing the fare down from GH₵75,000 to GH₵62,000.

This move fulfills a campaign promise made by President John Dramani Mahama to make the pilgrimage more affordable for Ghanaian Muslims.

Providing an update on Wednesday, February 5, Asutifi South MP and leader of the Hajj task force, Collins Dauda, highlighted the government’s efforts to ease the financial burden on pilgrims. He also mentioned ongoing discussions with Saudi authorities to improve logistical arrangements.

“During the 2024 presidential electioneering campaign, John Dramani Mahama, the President of Ghana, pledged to the Muslim community that if he won the elections, he would do everything possible to reduce the Hajj fare,” Dauda stated.

He explained that the reduction was aimed at making Hajj more accessible to Muslims, recalling that last year’s fare stood at GH₵75,000.

To achieve this, President Mahama set up a special task force of four Muslim representatives who attended the Hajj Conference in Saudi Arabia in January 2025. Their goal was to negotiate with service providers in Mecca and Madina to explore ways to cut costs.

“Through diligent negotiations and collaborations, the task force has successfully secured a significant reduction in the Hajj fare for 2025. Upon the advice of the president, the fare for 2025 Hajj has been set at GH₵62,000, which is equivalent to $4,130,” Dauda said.

In a social media update on Wednesday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim announced that Ghana’s Hajj quota had increased to 5,000 pilgrims—1,000 more than the previous year.

Despite the fare reduction, she disclosed that the current administration had inherited an outstanding Hajj debt exceeding $5.4 million.

Speaking on Okay FM on Thursday, February 6, Chairman of the Interim Hajj Taskforce, Alhaji Collins Dauda, clarified that the cost reduction was purely the result of negotiations with service providers in Saudi Arabia and not funded by the government.

“There is no government money involved in this. The reduction was the result of discussions with accommodation providers, caterers, and airlines. We appealed to them to reconsider their charges to make Hajj more affordable for Ghanaian Muslims,” he explained.

While accommodation and catering costs were successfully lowered, airline operators maintained their fares due to rising fuel prices. “The airlines told us fuel prices made it difficult to reduce fares, but the rest of the service providers understood our concerns and adjusted their charges,” Dauda added.

The reduction in fare is expected to ease the financial strain on prospective pilgrims and increase participation in the 2025 Hajj.