The Ghana Hajj Agents Association (GHAA) has successfully held a comprehensive stakeholders’ meeting as part of preparations for the 2026 Hajj operations and its Executive Committee Elections scheduled for the following day.
The day-long engagement brought together accredited Hajj agents, sub-agents, elders of the Association, and key institutional partners, and was described by participants as intensive, educative, and highly productive.
The meeting commenced with a presentation by a medical team from the Ghana Hajj Board Association, who took agents and sub-agents through the medical requirements and health protocols for Hajj 2026.
According to the medical team, a nationwide health education campaign will be rolled out to sensitise pilgrims ahead of registration. In addition, discussions are underway with the Ghana Health Service to establish designated immunisation centres, a key requirement for this year’s Hajj.
Pilgrims, the team emphasised, will undergo medical screening and be issued health certificates, which must be uploaded onto the Hajj registration platform before payment and registration can be completed.
Following the medical briefing, the Association’s IT team engaged participants on the agent interface of the Hajj registration and payment dashboard. Agents were introduced to new features and system upgrades designed to improve efficiency, transparency, and ease of registration for the 2026 Hajj season.
The session provided practical demonstrations and allowed agents to seek clarification on system operations.
A delegation from Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), the official bank for Hajj 2026, also addressed the gathering. The team outlined areas of collaboration with Hajj agents, including operational requirements and the newly introduced Hajj account.
The leader of the GCB delegation took the opportunity to clarify and apologise for comments made during the launch of the Hajj account, explaining that his remarks were not intended to disparage legitimate agents but were an expression of frustration over past experiences with fraudulent individuals posing as Hajj agents.
The engagement further doubled as an Annual General Meeting (AGM), during which members reviewed progress made in previous years and discussed pending issues affecting the Association.
Key among the discussions were modalities for accepting sub-agents and strengthening internal governance. Agents with outstanding disputes were invited, one after another, to meet with the elders of the Association, who successfully mediated and resolved several issues.
The final activity of the day was the vetting of candidates contesting in the Ghana Hajj Agents Association Executive Committee Elections. All aspirants were vetted by the elders, clearing the way for the elections scheduled for the following day.
Speaking after the meeting, Imam Abass Abdul-Karim a contestant for the position of General Secretary and General Manager of ABUSUABA Travel and Tours described the day as “a marathon but successful engagement.”
He commended the outgoing executives for organising the meeting professionally, thanked the elders for their role in dispute resolution and candidate vetting, and expressed appreciation to the medical team, IT team, and Ghana Commercial Bank delegation for their valuable contributions.
As the Association prepares for elections and the subsequent handing-over ceremony, members expressed optimism that the next day’s activities would be even more successful and mark a new chapter of unity and progress for the Association
