A cross section of prospective pilgrims at the Tamale orientation programme
An orientation for prospective pilgrims for this year’s annual Hajj has been held in Yendi and Tamale in the Northern Region respectively.
Opening the Yendi programme, the first of five lined up to educate about the Hajj across the country was the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Hajj Board, Alhaji Farouk Hamza, who put the programme together.
The exercise in Yendi brought together over 200 prospective pilgrims for this year’s orientation.
Prospective pilgrims were taken through the preparations the Board has made in Ghana and in Saudi Arabia to ensure a seamless Hajj.
Prospective pilgrims were for instance taken through the visa process, airline booking, ground transportation in Saudi Arabia, hotel accommodation, meals and the distribution of the Zamzam water upon arrival in Ghana.
Pilgrims were given the assurance that everything had been put in place to yet again ensure a smooth Hajj process.
Dr. Zakaria, head of the medical team of the Hajj Board, educated the prospective pilgrims about health facilities to be provided and keeping themselves healthy before, during and after the pilgrimage.
For the first time in the history of the Hajj management, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) also participated in this year’s orientation, with a segment that sought to educate prospective pilgrims about how to be good ambassadors of Ghana in a foreign land.
The Tamale Chapter was yesterday held at the WAEC Centre in Tamale, where some one thousand or so prospective pilgrims showed up.
It will be the turn of Walewale on Monday followed by Bolgatanga, Wa, yet to be confirmed, Kumasi and then Accra the last stop.
The first batch of Ghanaian pilgrims for Hajj 2024 is scheduled to depart the Tamale International Airport on May 28, 2024 en route to Madina, Saudi Arabia. The last of the four flights is scheduled to depart Tamale on May 31, 2024.
The orientation programme since its launch last year has proven valuable for prospective pilgrims, most of them undertaking their first international travel.
By A.R. Gomda