The Government of Ghana has reinstated September 21, the birthday of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as Founder’s Day, replacing the current Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
This change comes following the passage of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which amends the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, 2001 (Act 602).
Parliament on Wednesday 25, June, 2025 unanimously passed the amendment bill amid concerns by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) minority objecting the recognition of the Osagyefo and founder of modern Ghana.
Once assented to by the President, the amendment will remove August 4 as Founders’ Day and restore September 21 as a statutory public holiday to honour Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, for his pivotal role in the country’s struggle for independence.
The amendment seeks to restore historical integrity and foster national consensus on Dr. Nkrumah’s leadership in Ghana’s path to independence.
A memorandum accompanying the bill highlighted that the celebration of March 6, Ghana’s Independence Day already acknowledges the collective efforts of all involved in the independence movement.
The previous designation of August 4 as Founders’ Day, and the renaming of September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, was instituted by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration through the Holidays Amendment Act of 2019. This new amendment effectively reverses that decision.
Other significant changes introduced by the bill includes the Republic Day Restoration. July 1 will once again be recognized as a statutory public holiday, reinstating its former status prior to its reclassification as a commemorative day in 2019.
Additionally, the introduction of ‘Shaqq Day’, as a new public holiday will be observed the day after Eid-ul-Fitr.
The initiative which is aimed at promoting religious equity and inclusion is in fulfilment of a 2024 election manifesto promise made by President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the Muslim community.
The amended law also empowers the President to, by executive instrument, declare either the Monday preceding or the Friday following a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday holiday to be a public holiday, when the original holiday falls midweek.
This measure is intended to boost domestic tourism, improve work-life balance, and reduce midweek workplace disruptions.
The Interior Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, presented the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to Parliament on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
It was passed under a certificate of urgency after the Committee on Defence and Interior affirmed the bill’s urgent nature.
