Parliament has passed the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, reshaping Ghana’s list of official holidays.
Key changes
- July 1 is now a statutory holiday, to be marked as Republic Day.
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August 4 has been removed from the holiday schedule, and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day has been renamed Founder’s Day, which will be celebrated on September 21.
- A new Muslim holiday, “Shaqq Day,” will be observed the day after Eid ul-Fitr, fulfilling a National Democratic Congress campaign pledge.
Additionally, the bill empowers the President to shift public holidays that fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays to either the following Friday or preceding Monday, to improve national productivity and scheduling flexibility.
Other recognised holidays retained include New Year’s Day (January 1), Constitution Day (January 7), Independence Day (March 6), the two Eids, Labour Day (May 1), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Farmers’ Day (first Friday in December), Christmas (December 25), and Boxing Day (December 26).
This decision reverses the 2019 amendment under President Akufo-Addo's administration, which had designated August 4, the celebration of Ghana’s founding fathers, while demoting September 21 to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.