We reduced Hajj debts from $7.8 m to $4.8 m – Former Board Chair
The former Hajj Board Chairman, Alhaji Ben Abdallah Banda has accused the interim Hajj Taskforce leader, Collins Dauda of not being transparent and honest with his explanation of the Hajj operations related debts.
According to Alhaji Abdallah, whereas the outgoing Board inherited a debt of a $7.8 million debt from the previous Hajj management under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016, by the time they handed over in 2024, the debt had reduced to $4,859,250.
He said Collins Dauda is making it sound as though there was no legacy debt of $7.8 million in 2016 when the old Board took over.
In an official statement issued on February 6th, 2024, the former board chairman clarified that the legacy debt included Four Hundred and Twenty-Five (425) fully paid prospective pilgrims who could not be airlifted to perform their hajj in 2016 and were entitled to either a refund or rebooking for the subsequent Hajj seasons.
“Through the instrumentality of the then President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the stranded persons were airlifted.
He explained the financial situation and provided background on the debt.
According to the statement, the Akufo-Addo administration inherited a $7.8 million debt from the previous Hajj management under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2016.
This debt included 425 fully paid prospective pilgrims who could not be airlifted to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. The then-president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia facilitated their airlifting in subsequent Hajj seasons.
At the end of its tenure in 2024, Mr. Abdallah Bandastated that it left behind a total debt of $4,859,250, as documented in its handing-over notes. These notes were shared with the incoming administration and delivered to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency.
The former Board criticized the interim taskforce for failing to acknowledge the inherited debt from 2017 while discussing the current financial obligations.
“At the end of our tenure in 2024, a total debt of $4,859,250 is what was left behind as contained in our handing over notes. This information was shared with the new administration in the handing over notes delivered to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency.
“The attempt therefore to refer to the current legacy debt without reference to the legacy debt inherited in 2017 is most unfair and unfortunate because it does not represent a full disclosure of the genesis of the current legacy debt. It is trite that governance is a continuum inheriting both assets and liabilities”, the statement read.
The statement also highlighted that Hajj-related debts arise due to various factors, with foreign exchange fluctuations being a significant contributor. The former board urged the current taskforce to provide a full historical account of the legacy debt to prevent unnecessary disaffection within the Muslim community.
Prior to this, at a press conference on Wednesday, February 5, the Chairman of the five-member interim Hajj Taskforce, Alhaji Collins Dauda, claimed that the previous NPP government left behind a public debt of Gh₵81,142,899.90 from past Hajj pilgrimage trips.
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