2027 Hajj: UAE to Sponsor 344 Ghanaians for Pilgirmage
- The UAE announced it will cover the full Hajj expenses of 344 Ghanaian pilgrims for the 2027 season
- A symbolic cheque was presented to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa at the Ministry in Accra
- The initiative will be coordinated with the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana under the Ghana Hajj Board
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The United Arab Emirates has announced it will fully sponsor 344 Ghanaian pilgrims for the 2027 Hajj season, in a gesture carried out under the personal directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
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The announcement was formalised during a ceremony at Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra, where UAE Ambassador to Ghana Dr Abdulla AlMandous and Deputy Head of Mission Khalifa Almehrzi presented a symbolic cheque to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Yussif Issaka Jajah, and Ghana Hajj Board Chairman Alhaji Abdul Rauf Ibrahim Tanko all witnessed the presentation.
The sponsorship will be administered in coordination with the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) under the Ghana Hajj Board. For each of the 344 beneficiaries, the funding is intended to remove the financial barrier to a journey that carries profound spiritual weight.
In a statement, the UAE described Hajj as a long-held aspiration for many of the beneficiaries, one shared with their families and communities across Ghana. The initiative, it said, reflects core values of generosity, tolerance and compassion that define the country's engagement with communities globally.
Ghana-UAE Bilateral Ties
The UAE framed the sponsorship within the context of strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations, characterised by cooperation across diplomatic, economic, development and people-to-people ties.
By extending support at an individual and community level, the initiative adds a human dimension to what has largely been a government and commercial relationship.
The statement described the journey to Makkah as more than a pilgrimage for those involved, calling it the fulfilment of a deeply held aspiration and a tangible expression of friendship between the peoples of both countries.
Source: YEN.com.gh
