Alhaji Ayaana, a 65-year-old businessman and philanthropist from Tamale, has announced plans to walk over 250 kilometres from Kumasi to Accra as a symbolic gesture to honour President-elect John Dramani Mahama’s swearing-in ceremony on 7 January 2025.

The ambitious journey, which is set to take three days, will begin on Sunday, 5 January2025, with Alhaji Ayaana travelling from Kumasi to Accra on foot.

The philanthropist, who is well-known for his advocacy of national unity and health, explained that this walk represents his personal tribute to Mahama’s victory in the 2024 presidential election.

“This is my way of showing respect for President-elect John Dramani Mahama and celebrating his victory,” Alhaji Ayaana said.

This is not the first time Alhaji Ayaana has undertaken such a meaningful journey. In 1997, he walked to mark former President Jerry John Rawlings’ second-term swearing-in.

In 1999, he also organised a 16-kilometre peace and health walk in Tamale on Independence Day to promote national unity and health awareness.

The announcement of his latest journey came after Alhaji Ayaana completed a 19-kilometre health walk from Yakubu Tali International Airport to Jubilee Park in Tamale on 21 December 2024.

The event was held to celebrate Ghana’s peaceful 2024 elections and to express gratitude to Ghanaians for their support of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In his message, Alhaji Ayaana expressed hopes that President Mahama would fulfil his campaign promises, particularly in reducing the high costs of the Hajj pilgrimage.

He revealed: “This year, pilgrims using my agency paid about GHS40,000, while others paid as much as GHS75,000 for the same Hajj. Reducing the Hajj fare, as promised, will ease the burden on Muslims wishing to perform their pilgrimage.”

Alhaji Ayaana also called for the decentralisation of visa issuance and biometric verification processes, which currently require pilgrims from northern regions to travel to Accra.

He argued that decentralising these processes would alleviate the difficulties faced by northern pilgrims.

“The decentralisation of these processes will make it easier for pilgrims from the northern regions, who often face challenges travelling to Accra,” he added.