Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has addressed misconceptions regarding the funding for the Hajj Village project.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, the Abura Asebu Kwamankese MP revealed that the project will cost $14.6 million but emphasized that it is being developed and managed by the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) without any taxpayer funding.
President John Dramani Mahama officially broke ground for the project on Friday, February 28, 2025. The facility is expected to improve arrangements for Ghanaian pilgrims traveling to Mecca for the annual Hajj.
However, concerns have been raised by some Ghanaians, with arguments that the project had already commenced last year under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Responding to these concerns, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu accused some individuals, particularly within the NPP, of trying to equate the project to the National Cathedral.
“There is a deliberate attempt to equalize it with the National Cathedral project because they heard ‘Hajj’ and assumed there is a religious angle,” he stated.
He dismissed the comparison, saying, “This is nothing like the senseless decision to pump $58 million into a useless hole in the middle of Accra called a cathedral.”
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu explained that the Hajj Village is primarily an airport terminal designed for check-in and processing of pilgrims.
“In October 2024, GACL started the project. They have idle land and engaged a contractor to build the facility so that they can run the Hajj terminal. Not a pesewa of taxpayer money is involved,” he clarified.
The new Hajj Village is located near the current facility, opposite Action Chapel on the Spintex Road.
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