The National Hajj Task Force has issued a formal apology to Ghanaian pilgrims who were unable to participate in the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Speaking on behalf of the Task Force, Head of Corporate Affairs Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini attributed the difficulties to unforeseen circumstances and visa-related issues.
In a public statement, Alhaji Fuseini expressed deep regret over the situation and assured the affected pilgrims and the general public that measures are being put in place to prevent similar occurrences in future Hajj arrangements.
“Those pilgrims who paid but were not able to go and had visa problems, we will deal with them, so we can take them along, as well as those on the protocol side,” he stated.
“I need to prefix that with an apology to our pilgrims who, in one way or another, have not been able to fly. I want to apologise to them and seek their forgiveness for our inability to carry them now,” he added.
Alhaji Fuseini specifically extended the Task Force’s apologies to pilgrims who fully paid but were unable to travel due to visa complications.
The Task Force also disclosed that two Ghanaian pilgrims tragically lost their lives during the pilgrimage, while five others were repatriated due to issues with their travel documents.
Clarifying the circumstances, Alhaji Fuseini explained that the repatriation was the result of administrative errors not any form of misconduct.
“We prefer to say ‘repatriated’ rather than ‘deported’ because deportation implies wrongdoing, whereas these individuals were sent back due to visa issuance errors, not criminal activity,” he noted.
Efforts are currently underway to ensure that the affected individuals will be prioritized for future Hajj journeys.
Despite the challenges, about 6,000 Ghanaian pilgrims successfully participated in this year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
