The first batch of pilgrims for the 2024 Hajj is set to depart from the Tamale International Airport, bound for the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The pilgrims are scheduled to depart today, Tuesday, 28 May 2024.

Over 4,000 pilgrims are expected to participate in this year’s Hajj.

The Communications Director for the Hajj Board, Abdul-Rahman Gomda emphasised the importance of cooperation and adherence to instructions for a smooth and spiritually rewarding experience. "They [pilgrims] should learn to be with us. They should take instructions from us. There have been instances where people don’t take instructions from us. You tell them what to do and they want to do what they want to do," Gomda noted.

The Communications Director highlighted the religious significance of the pilgrimage, urging participants to maintain a devout attitude.

 “That is especially being a religious exercise, there is a need for them to be very religious so that they get the spiritual dividends which made them go there,” he said.

To ensure that pilgrims receive proper guidance, the Hajj Board has established the Dawah committee, comprising Islamic clergymen who have studied in Saudi Arabia.

These religious leaders will assist pilgrims at various stages of the pilgrimage, offering instruction on the recitals, glorification of the creator, and other essential practices.

“That is why we have established the Dawah committee made up of Islamic clergymen, many of whom even studied in Saudi Arabia and who guide them, especially at the various stations of the pilgrimage; the recitals, the glorification of the creator, what to do and what not to do and the like,” the Communications Director for the Hajj Board explained.

He was speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi News.