Parliament has enacted the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which alters the country's statutory public holidays.
According to the Defense and Interior Committee report, the revision is supported by the need to "reform the holiday framework in a manner that is inclusive, historically accurate, and promotes productivity," among other reasons.
As part of the new law, July 1 would be declared a public holiday, known as Republic Day.
The government has also removed August 4 from the holiday schedule, renaming Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day as Founders' Day, which will be commemorated on September 21.
In order to keep its campaign pledge, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has created an additional holiday for Muslims known as "Shaqq Day."
This holiday will be observed a day after Eid al-Fitr. What's more? According to the law, if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, "the President may, by Executive Instrument, declare the public holiday to be observed on the Friday immediately after the Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday."
Muntaka Mubarak, Minister of Interior, believes that this will help to ensure national production. Members of Parliament debated the relevance of the revisions and the introduction of an additional holiday for Muslims.
The dispute was not only about who qualifies to be a founder. Both sides disagreed on whether it was right to celebrate Founders' Day on the birthday of Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
