Minister vows to make Hajj affordable for all Gambians

“Hajj is not a business, it’s a religious obligation. And under this government, poor Gambian Muslims will no longer be priced out of Mecca,” he stressed.

“Hajj cannot be a business enterprise for reaping profit from the poor,” Bah asserted. “Some of our people sell their land, livestock, or farm for five years just to go on Hajj only to be exploited by self-serving agents.”

He revealed that Gambians have been paying up to £9,000 for Hajj while sleeping in substandard conditions until now.”

The minister disclosed that prior to his reforms, there was no official Hajj policy or price control mechanism. Packages were determined haphazardly, often inflated with luxury expenses by agents flying business class under the guise of “inspection missions.”

He added that upon taking office, he said he launched an investigation and discovered that last year’s Hajj package was $220 more expensive than necessary. He slashed prices, upgraded pilgrim accommodations from Class D to Class C, and cut D6,000 from the final package.

 “This year, Gambians stayed in a four-star hotel alongside pilgrims from Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and the Gulf States,” he said. “We refused to let only the rich access decent accommodation while our people suffered.”

He emphasised that government control is now essential to protect pilgrims from being overcharged, misled, or scattered across multiple substandard lodgings.

Bah also defended the government’s decision to assign the entire Hajj operation to the Gambia International Airlines (GIA), a move he said saved over 400 Gambian jobs and proved critics wrong.

“They said Hajj would fail. That no one would go to Mecca. But not only did people go, they returned before their scheduled time. GIA did a fantastic job,” he said, referencing those who went “on social media to insult the regime.”

The minister warned that attempts to undermine state enterprises like GIA would not be tolerated.

“Why kill GIA so a few private agents can enrich themselves while hundreds lose their jobs?”

He said his ministry would continue to ensure affordable hajj package to every Gambian each year to make sure every Muslim performs their religious obligations.