He said Ghana’s 2017 Hajj quota stood at 6,200 and each prospective pilgrim would pay a total amount of $ 3,450 or its cedi equivalent of GH? 15,000.  He announced that payment would be based on first-come-first-serve basis, adding that no payment would be accepted after the deadline, which would be announced later.

The Chairman said six flights would air lift prospective pilgrims in the northern Sector from the Tamale International Airport to ease the pressure on the Hajj village in Accra.  He said payment could be made directly either to UniBank Ghana Limited account number 011401655544, or accredited agents.      Sheikh Quaye said some innovations had been introduced to reduce the burden and stress of pilgrims both in Ghana and Saudi Arabia including identifiable accommodation tags, feeding on arrival at Madina and feeding before departure in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.

He said some provisions had been made for last year pilgrims who could not make it to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.  The Chairman asked prospective pilgrims to obtain receipts for verification and registration and avoid making payments to individuals. He appealed to prospective pilgrims and the public to comply with the modalities for the payment deadline when it is announced to avoid any inconveniences.

He also called on prospective pilgrims who had no passports to start the process for acquiring one to facilitate visa acquisition and to undergo vaccination for acquisition of yellow cards.