Africa-Press – Gambia. Hamat N.K. Bah, Minister of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs, has firmly denounced the commercial exploitation of Gambian pilgrims, stating that Hajj must never be treated as a profit-making venture at the expense of devout and financially struggling Muslims.
Speaking during a ministerial town hall meeting, Minister Bah announced the development of a national Hajj policy aimed at bringing structure, fairness, and transparency to the organization of the annual pilgrimage.
Announcing the initiation of a comprehensive Hajj policy, Minister Bah revealed that upon assuming office, he observed a lack of regulation and consistency in how Hajj arrangements were managed. “What I first discovered was that there was no mechanism for how to determine the Hajj package price,” he explained. “I think people will just come with their cost. Some of them are flying in business class, saying they are inspecting facilities and present a figure to say is the Hajj package.”
To address these challenges, the ministry engaged qualified permanent secretaries, Hajj committee members, and parliamentary representatives to conduct a thorough review of the previous two years’ Hajj arrangements. Their findings showed that the current packages were approximately two hundred and twenty dollars higher than necessary, highlighting significant overcharging by certain agencies.
Minister Bah stressed that without government oversight, the Hajj pilgrimage risks becoming an exclusive privilege for the wealthy, effectively barring many Gambians who sacrifice years of hard work, sell assets, or rely on family support to afford the journey. He pointed out that many Gambians toil for five years, sell livestock or even land, while children hustle to raise funds for their parents, “and you leave them at the mercy of people who talk about VIP,” he lamented.
Citing practices in other countries, Minister Bah explained that in some jurisdictions, private travel agencies only sell tickets, while a national agency handles the full Hajj package. While clarifying that The Gambia is not adopting that exact model, he urged local agencies to collaborate with the government in implementing reforms.
He added, “We do what is possible, but the issue of overcharging our people and making sure Gambians can no longer go to Mecca—only the rich that can go to Mecca—will not happen under our watch.”
The minister assured the public that the government will rigorously control pricing and service standards, committing to continual improvements to deliver better experiences each year. “We will manage it; we will improve on it until we deliver better services every year. “
Minister Bah concluded by inviting public participation in shaping the Hajj policy, assuring that the drafting process would be open and inclusive.
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