The Government of Ghana has laid a new bill before Parliament seeking to amend the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, with sweeping changes aimed at restoring key historical observances and expanding recognition of religious holidays.

The proposed legislation, titled the Public Holidays (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was formally introduced in Parliament on Wednesday, June 25.

At the core of the bill is a proposal to reinstate July 1 as Republic Day, marking Ghana’s transition to a republic in 1960. If approved, July 1 would return as a statutory public holiday after it was removed in previous legislative amendments.

The bill also seeks to introduce a new holiday named Shaqq Day, to be observed the day after Eid-ul-Fitr, providing an additional day for religious reflection and family gatherings for Muslims across the country.

Another major change proposed is the repeal of August 4 as Founders’ Day, a holiday introduced in recent years to honour the collective contributions of Ghana’s independence leaders.

The government now proposes to restore September 21 as Founder’s Day, exclusively recognising Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President and leading figure in the independence struggle.

In addition, the bill includes a provision that allows the President to move public holidays that fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays to either the preceding Friday or following Monday, in a move aimed at improving productivity and planning for both government and private institutions.

The bill is expected to generate debate both within and outside Parliament, as it touches on politically and historically sensitive aspects of Ghana’s national identity and commemorative calendar.