The Saudi Arabia government has, through its Markaz Aleawn Alyaqin Eta’am project, donated 150.5 tons of assorted food items to the needy in Ghana for the 2022 Ramadan fasting.

The food items, including; rice, maize, beans, cooking oil, and other items, are expected to reach 15,000 Muslim families within the Ghanaian Muslim communities.

The Eta’am project, which King Salman Humanitarian and Relief Centre solely fund, is a fulfilment of one key pillar of Islam, Zakat, i.e. payment made annually under Islamic law for charitable and religious purposes.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Ghana, Mesha Bin Hamdan Alrogi, said that the food items will serve some 15000 households and demonstrate the significance of the sacred month of Ramadan and what is expected from Muslims throughout that period.

Since its inception in 2015, Ambassador Mesha Bin Hamdan said the Eta’am project has become a focal point through which government assisted people.

Apart from the donation of food items, the Ambassador also announced to the gathering that the Saudi government has increased the quota for scholarships for Ghanaians to enable a lot more qualified students to benefit from pursuing their academic dreams by studying in the field of their choice in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

National Coordinator for the Zongo Development Secretariat, Ben Abdallah, encouraged the youth to take advantage of the scholarship opportunities made available by the Saudi government.

The Saudi government has, over the years, worked closely with the government of Ghana by providing loans and grant facilities to help close the country's infrastructure deficit, particularly in the road sector.

Member of Parliament for Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti region, Muntaka Mubarak, who was present at the ceremony, charged the Muslim community in Ghana to take education seriously if they are to break out of the shackles of poverty which has created vulnerability within the Muslim communities across the country.

The food items have since been donated to the beneficiaries ahead of the Ramadan fast expected to commence this weekend.