Thousands of Ghanaian pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have begun their evacuation from Makkah to Mina ahead of the commencement of the main rites of the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
Officials of the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) say the movement of pilgrims started earlier than scheduled to ensure a smooth and timely transition to Mina, where pilgrims will spend the Day of Tarwiyah before proceeding to Arafat.
Speaking in an exclusive interview in Makkah, a member of the PAOG Advance Team, Alhaji Mahaz Ibrahim, expressed confidence in the arrangements put in place for the evacuation exercise.
According to him, officials had worked tirelessly over the past month in Madinah and Makkah to prepare accommodation, transportation and other logistics for Ghanaian pilgrims.
He explained that accommodation in Mina had been categorised into different grades, including A, B and C classes, depending on the level of services available to pilgrims.
“When we say C class, it depends upon the kind of services you are going to get. We have A, B and C class, and the C class is the third grade within the categories in Mina,” he explained.
Alhaji Ibrahim disclosed that although the journey from Makkah to Mina covers about seven to eight kilometres, early movement arrangements would help reduce delays and congestion.
“By eight o’clock to nine in the morning, we should be able to clear all our pilgrims,” he assured.
He further assured Ghanaians that this year’s Hajj operations were being handled professionally under the leadership of the Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board, Hon. Alhaji Abdul-Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, with support from dedicated staff on the ground.
“We want to assure all Ghanaians that everything will go on smoothly, Insha Allah,” he stated.
The evacuation to Mina marks the beginning of the core rituals of Hajj, with pilgrims expected to proceed to Arafat for the climax of the pilgrimage.
