August 4 no longer a public holiday — Interior Ministry clarifies

By Isaac Donkor Distinguished

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August 4 no longer a public holiday — Interior Ministry clarifies

THU, 31 JUL 2025 1

The Ministry of the Interior has clarified that Monday, August 4, 2025, will not be observed as a public holiday in Ghana.

Under the previous Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party administration, Founder’s Day was marked on August 4—the date associated with the country’s first organised political struggle for independence.

It also marks the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), Ghana’s first political party.

However, the new National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, through the passage of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Act, 2025, has reverted the observation to September 21, the birthday of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, July 31, the Interior Ministry said: “Please be informed that 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 is 𝐧𝐨𝐭 a public holiday.”

The ministry further cited Section 3 of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, 2001 (Act 601), as amended by Act 1142, which allows the President to shift holidays that fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to a Monday or Friday.

Holidays falling on weekends may also be shifted to the following Monday.

Isaac Donkor Distinguished

Is a journalist with a keen interest in politics, current affairs, and social issuesPage: isaac-donkor-distinguished

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Comments

Yabi Yabi | 7/31/2025 6:14:59 PM

There are those from the so-called educated and political elite class in Ghana whose decisions and policy drivers have and do continue to have long-term negative socio-economic and political effects on Ghana; one such decision is the declaration of August 4th as a National holiday. Which political leadership team with foresight, wisdom and principled inner compass or an educated group of Ghanaian with wherewithal, ideals and capacity for the love of country would have chosen the formation da...

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