(Business in Cameroon) - The Minister of Local Administration and Decentralisation (Minadt), René Emmanuel Sadi, informed that the price of the package to take part in the 2016 Hajj for Cameroonian pilgrims has decreased by FCfa 94,000 due in part to the cancellation of the “refundable savings”, in compliance with the new requirements of the Saudi authorities.

Contrary to the previous year when Cameroonian pilgrims would have spent FCfa 2.154 million, the total price of the 2016 Hajj is FCfa 2.06 million. It covers the plane ticket (FCfa 930,000), accommodation at the Mecca and Medina (FCfa 596,354), basic Saudi services (FCfa 172,840), additional Moassassa services (FCfa 134,382), catering services at Mecca and Medina (FCfa 138,424), medical and administrative assistance (FCfa 17,500), supervisor's commissions (FCfa 55,000) and bank commission (FCfa 15,500).

The national airline Camair Co was selected as transporter of the pilgrims based on the provisional program according to which, departures are meant to start from 24 August 2016 and the return is fixed for latest 02 September 2016. Camair Co in partnership with the Saudi airline Flynas, will charter two aircraft of the Boeing 767-300 type, with one departing from Garoua and the other departing from Douala, to and fro. If an estimate of the number of candidates to the 2016 pilgrimage to Mecca has not yet been given, we can recall that in 2015, 4,500 Cameroonians took part in this religious event. About thirty of them died in a stampede which had left 2,236 dead.

Sylvain Andzongo