Parliament has officially restored September 21 as Founders’ Day, exclusively honouring Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, following the passage of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The move ends years of political debate over how Ghana’s independence leaders should be recognised.
The government says the change reflects Nkrumah’s unmatched role in delivering independence and laying the foundation for the nation.
The amendment repeals the August 4 Founders’ Day, introduced to collectively honour all those who contributed to Ghana’s liberation struggle.
Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, presenting the bill, said restoring September 21 — Nkrumah’s birthday — corrects Ghana’s historical record.
“The purpose of the proposed amendment to the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, 2001 (Act 601) seeks to provide for the removal of the celebration of Founder’s Day on 4th August as a public holiday and rename Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day as Founders’ day which is to be celebrated on 21st September,” the Minister told Parliament.
The bill also reinstates July 1 as Republic Day, marking Ghana’s transition to a republic in 1960, and introduces Shaqq Day, a new holiday for Muslims to be observed the day after Eid-ul-Fitr.
A widely welcomed provision allows midweek public holidays to be shifted to the nearest Friday or Monday to create longer weekends and improve productivity.
Despite opposition from Minority MPs over the fast-tracking of the bill, Parliament approved the changes, ushering in a new era of holiday observance that restores Nkrumah’s central place in Ghana’s national history.
