Parliament has approved a motion for the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, to be taken under a certificate of urgency, despite vocal opposition from the Minority caucus.
The Bill, which introduced new public holidays and revised others, was submitted by the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Mubarák-Mohammed Muntaka, in line with campaign promises made by President John Dramani Mahama.
Although the move received consensus support in the end, Minority Leader Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin criticised the decision to fast-track the Bill, warning against prioritising symbolic gestures over substantive reforms.
He questioned the government’s priorities, especially when more pressing legislative reforms related to the 24-hour economy – one of the government’s major promises – had not been initiated.
The Amendment Bill proposed to add a new holiday known as “Shaqq Day,” which will be observed immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr each year.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the inclusion of Shaqq Day recognises “the religious and cultural practices of the Muslim community” and promotes “religious equity and inclusion in the country.”
In addition, Republic Day, which commemorates Ghana’s transition to a republican form of governance in 1960, will return as a statutory public holiday to be observed on July 1. It had previously been downgraded to a commemorative day.
One of the more symbolic changes in the Bill involved the restoration of Founders’ Day to September 21 in honour of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President. This reverses the 2018 shift that placed Founders’ Day on August 4 to recognise the collective contributions of Ghana’s independence movement.
“This is to honour the birthday of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and to recognise his role in the independence struggle – and to restore historical integrity and national consensus regarding his leadership”
Hon. Mubarák-Mohammed Muntaka, Minister for the Interior
The amendment eliminated August 4 as a holiday and reinstated the former Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, now renamed Founders’ Day, on September 21. The government argued that the collective efforts toward independence are already celebrated on March 6, Ghana’s Independence Day.
More Provisions
The Bill included provisions that allow the President, by executive instrument, to shift public holidays that fall midweek to the nearest Monday or Friday, excluding religious holidays.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, this arrangement “will boost tourism, ensure work-life balance, and generally enhance productivity by minimising midweek disruptions.”
Clause 1 of the Bill detailed these powers, allowing adjustments where holidays fall on weekends or midweek. For instance, if a statutory holiday falls on a Tuesday, the President could declare the preceding Monday as the day of observance instead.
Despite the Bill’s criticism by Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin, who called it a diversion from more essential obligations and labelled the move as “bad faith,” the Bill passed the threshold for urgency under Parliamentary rules and will be fast-tracked for further consideration.
Clause 3 of the Bill also revised the First Schedule of Act 601. It renamed Workers’ Day as Labour Day and officially included Shaqq Day and Republic Day as public holidays.
Meanwhile, the Second Schedule was updated under Clause 4, removing Republic Day from the commemorative days list and leaving African Union Day as the sole remaining commemorative day.
The government asserted that these changes reflect the “evolution of national priorities” and aim to balance historical recognition with current social and religious dynamics.
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