I Strongly Disagree With Hajj Village Project – A-Plus

Kwame Asare Obeng (A-Plus), an independent Minister of Parliament for Gomoa Central, has denied assertions made by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State for Government Communication, that the Hajj Village’s construction will not be funded by public funds. He has also expressed disagreement with the timing of the Hajj Village project.

“I strongly disagree with the controversial Hajj Village project, especially at a time when Ghana has more urgent priorities according to the new government,” A-Plus wrote in a Facebook post. Although I acknowledge the importance of religious commitments, national funds ought to be allocated to initiatives that benefit all Ghanaians. The Agenda 111 hospitals are one of our important projects. Some are almost finished and will give millions of people access to vital healthcare services. Before spending money on a facility that serves a small portion of the population, shouldn’t we concentrate on finishing these hospitals?”

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He further challenged the Minister’s claim about funding: “The spokesperson for the President claims that the Hajj Village is a new airport terminal being built by the Ghana Airports Company Ltd (GACL) and that no taxpayer money is involved. Please, the Ghana Airport Company does not belong to Asagyam Herbal Clinic. It is a state enterprise, meaning any funds it uses are still state funds. If there is a need for a new terminal, which may be more expensive than the cost of the Hajj Village/Hajj Terminal, go ahead and build one with modern facilities that improve air travel for everyone.”

National Cathedral project

A-Plus drew parallels to the National Cathedral project: “We have seen this playbook before. This is exactly how Akufo-Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta justified their National Cathedral project—promising it wouldn’t cost the taxpayer a cent. Yet, they ended up spending over $400 million on a project that remains unfinished, with nothing to show but a dirty swimming pool. This is how it begins—they fail to take wise counsel and instead send their foot soldiers to insult us and make wild allegation against us for speaking the truth. We have seen these things, we have fought these things, we have won against them and will always win no matter how far under we go. It is a fact, scientifically proven!”

Adding his voice to the controversy, former Auditor General Daniel Yao Domelevo expressed surprise that the Mahama administration is prioritizing the Hajj Village project when the country is still grappling with recovering over $58 million squandered on the National Cathedral project. Mr. Domelevo stated that President Mahama’s decision to prioritize this project is truly astonishing.

Domelevo also rejected the Minister’s claims about funding.

The criticisms follow President John Dramani Mahama’s sod-cutting ceremony for the Hajj Village project on Friday, February 28. President Mahama announced plans to airlift 5,000 pilgrims to Mecca this year and urged all intending pilgrims to meet the March 13 payment deadline.

The Hajj Village

The Hajj Village project is intended to improve Ghana’s pilgrimage logistics, reinforcing the government’s commitment to better travel experiences for Ghanaian Muslims embarking on the sacred journey.

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

However, Mr. Domelevo countered his claim on his Facebook page, saying, “Seriously? ‘Hajj Village Project Does Not Involve a Single Pesewa of Taxpayer Money’? Honorable Felix Kwakye Ofosu, please share that with the marines. The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is a state-owned enterprise, meaning it has no private shareholders and the government holds the majority of shares. The GACL is owned and controlled by the government of Ghana. It’s truly astonishing—especially as we deal with recovering over $58 million wasted on the national cathedral project—that one of the key priorities of the Mahama administration is this fruitless and wasteful Hajj village project.

Ethiopia’s 5-star Skylight Hotel

“Ethiopia has a Muslim population equal to or larger than that of Ghana, and it is several times (about five times) larger in size. Instead of a Hajj village, they constructed a five-star Skylight hotel with over 1,000 rooms for passengers and are continuously expanding Terminal 2. In fact, the celebrated Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport pales in comparison to Terminal 2 at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. We need to stop celebrating mediocrity.”

The Hajj Village, being developed by the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), is intended 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 greater efficiency at the airport.