The Ministry of the Interior has announced that Friday, July 4, 2025, has been declared a public holiday across the country.
A statement issued on Thursday, June 26, 2025, and signed by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, urged the public to observe the day as a statutory holiday nationwide.
“The general public is hereby informed that Tuesday, 1st July 2025, is Republic Day. However, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, by Executive Instrument (E.I), in accordance with Section 2 of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, 2021 (Act 601) has declared Friday, 4th July, 2025 as a Public Holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country,” the statement read.
The shift is in line with a broader government policy to promote productivity and convenience by creating long weekends when holidays fall midweek. This approach is also reflected in the recently laid Public Holidays (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which is currently before Parliament.
The proposed amendment seeks to restore July 1 as a statutory public holiday after its reclassification as a commemorative day in previous legislative reforms. Republic Day commemorates Ghana’s transition to a republic on July 1, 1960, following the adoption of a new constitution and the election of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the country’s first President.
The bill, introduced in Parliament on Wednesday, June 25, contains several other sweeping changes to Ghana’s holiday calendar. These include the introduction of a new religious holiday, Shaqq Day, to be observed the day after Eid-ul-Fitr, and the repeal of August 4 as Founders’ Day, which honours Ghana’s collective independence leaders.
In its place, the government is seeking to restore September 21 as Founder’s Day, solely in recognition of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s pivotal role in the country’s independence struggle.
Significantly, the bill also codifies the President’s authority to move holidays that fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays to the nearest Friday or Monday—such as the current shift from Tuesday, July 1 to Friday, July 4—to reduce workplace disruptions and enable better planning for businesses and families.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
