The Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has introduced a bill in Parliament proposing sweeping amendments to how national holidays are observed.
Dubbed the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the legislation includes a bold move to reschedule all midweek public holidays—those that fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays—to Fridays. The objective, the government says, is to encourage productivity and give Ghanaians longer weekends to rest or travel.
“This is about aligning public holidays with national development goals. By clustering rest days, we aim to reduce midweek disruptions and increase workplace efficiency,” the Interior Minister said on the floor of Parliament.
Beyond the shift in scheduling, the bill also proposes two major symbolic changes to the country’s commemorative calendar:
- July 1 will be declared a new public holiday—a move expected to stir historical debate and reflection on its national significance.
- The widely discussed Founder’s Day will return to September 21, reinstating the observance on the birthday of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
This reversal of the previous administration’s decision to move Founder’s Day to August 4 reflects what some see as a recalibration of the national narrative on Ghana’s independence struggle.
While the proposed changes have sparked early praise from labour unions and weekend leisure advocates, some historians and political commentators anticipate renewed debates over the politics of memory and national identity.
The bill, if passed, could take effect as early as the last quarter of 2025, reshaping both the country’s civic rhythm and how Ghanaians connect with their historical landmarks.
