Henry Quartey
Next Week Monday, August 5, 2024, has been declared as a public holiday in commemoration of Founders’ Day, which falls on Sunday, August 4, 2024.
This was announced by the Ministry of the Interior in a statement explaining that the day will be observed throughout the country as a day of significance and remembrance.
“The general public is hereby informed that Sunday, 4th August 2024, marks Founders’ Day, which is a statutory public holiday,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“However, since 4th August 2024, falls on a Sunday, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, has by Executive Instrument (E.I), per Section 2 of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, (Act 601) declared Monday, 5th August 2024, as an additional public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.”
According to history, the Founders’ Day in Ghana, marks the contributions of successive generations of Ghanaians who played pivotal roles in liberating the country from colonial rule.
It was designated as a public holiday by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who proposed amendments to the Public Holiday Act in 2018.
The Public Holidays Amendment Bill, 2018, presented by the then Minister of the Interior Ambrose Dery, led to the cancellation of three existing public holidays and introduced two new holidays.
As a result, Founders’ Day was designated on August 4, while September 21 was set aside as a memorial day for Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, in recognition of his significant role in the fight for Ghana’s independence on March 6.
The three holidays affected by this amendment were Republic Day, previously observed on July 1, African Union (AU) Day, observed on May 25, and Founders’ Day, which fell on Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday, September 21.
BY Daniel Bampoe