Domelevo: It’s astonishing that Mahama is prioritising the ‘fruitless and wasteful’ Hajj village project

3 News

Mon 03rd Mar, 2025 09:41

Former Auditor General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, has expressed surprise that one of the key priorities of the Mahama administration is the construction of the Hajj Village project at a time the country is grappling with recovering over $58 million squandered on the national cathedral project.

Mr Demevelo says it is truly astonishing that President Mahama is prioritising this project.

He also rejected claims by the Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, that taxpayer money will not be used to finance the construction of the Hajj Village.

President John Dramani Mahama had been criticised by some Ghanaians for prioritising the Hajj Village project after the sod-cutting ceremony on Friday, February 28. President Mahama announced plans to airlift 5,000 pilgrims to Mecca this year.

He urged all intending pilgrims to meet the March 13 payment deadline, adding that a pre-finance arrangement with a local bank has ensured full payment for accommodation, transport, and other facilities.

The Hajj Village project is seen as a major step towards improving Ghana’s pilgrimage logistics, reinforcing the government’s commitment to better travel experiences for Ghanaian Muslims embarking on the sacred journey.

Following the concerns raised, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu in a post on his X page said “FACT: The Hajj Village is primarily an airport terminal building for check-in and pilgrim facilitation owned and being built by the Ghana Airport Company. Not a pesewa of taxpayers’ money involved.”

But responding to him in a post on his Facebook page, Mr Domelevo said “Like seriously? ‘Hajj Village Project Does Not Involve a Single Pesewa of Taxpayer Money’ . Honorable Felix Kwakye Ofosu, please tell it to the marines. The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is a state-owned enterprise, which means it has no shareholders or the Government owns majority of the shares. The GACL is owned and controlled by the government of Ghana. It is truly astonishing—especially as we grapple with recovering over $58 million squandered on the national cathedral project— that one of the key priorities of the Mahama administration is the fruitless and wasteful Hajj village project.

The Hajj Village, which is being developed by the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), is designed to serve as a dedicated terminal to streamline the check-in and processing of Ghanaian pilgrims traveling to Mecca. The project aims to enhance the overall pilgrimage experience while ensuring efficiency at the airport.

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