The National Chief Imam and Mufti of Ghana, Shaikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has expressed deep satisfaction with the management and outcome of this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca.

In an official message of commendation issued on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the Grand Imam highly praised the Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Ibrahim Tanko, and his entire executive team for engineering a highly successful Hajj operation.

The spiritual leader also extended formal appreciation to His Excellency the President and the Government of the Republic of Ghana for providing the critical administrative and logistical support required to ensure the smooth execution of the multi-million cedi operations.

While celebrating the administrative triumph of this year's lifecycle operations, the National Chief Imam offered spiritual and executive counsel to the Hajj Board leadership. He explicitly warned against falling into the trap of self-congratulation, reminding them that operational superiority requires continuous improvement.

Through a statement signed by his Personal Assistant, Dr Abubakar Mohammed Marzuq Azindoo, the Grand Imam stated:

“He, however, advises the Board Chair not to allow perfectionist mentality to drag him into the quagmire of complacency. Indeed, excellence is not a synonym of perfection. Excellence is a humbling, continuing effort that leaves room for improvement, he emphasizes.”

Congratulating the thousands of Ghanaian pilgrims who successfully travelled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Eminence prayed for divine acceptance of their sacred rituals (Hajj Mabrur).

The Grand Imam noted that in the modern globalised world, the annual pilgrimage has evolved far beyond an isolated spiritual exercise into a powerful vehicle for international public relations and economic networking.

“In the words of His Eminence, Hajj in contemporary times is no longer a mere exercise of spirituality. In fact, Hajj has also become a tool of bilateral relations and cultural diplomacy, he explains.”

Consequently, he urged returning pilgrims to reflect the spiritual discipline of the pilgrimage in their daily lives, serving as practical ambassadors of decency, humility, stability, and national unity to further boost Ghana's international diplomatic profile.

The Eminent Imam described the overall success of contemporary Hajj operations as a shared civic responsibility that transcends partisan, geopolitical, or tribal affiliations.

As the country celebrates the safe return of the pilgrims, Shaikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu strongly appealed to the entire Ghanaian Muslim Ummah to embrace the success of Hajj 2026 within a broader atmosphere of absolute national unity in diversity