President John Dramani Mahama has reinstated July 1 as a public holiday, which means Ghana’s Republic Day is back on the list of holidays in Ghana.
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), the president emphasized the historical and spiritual significance of the day, expressing disappointment over its removal from the country’s holiday calendar in 2019.
“First July we became a republic and we cut ties with the British Empire. So, on that day, the true Ghana was born. I’ve said that we must give thanks to the Almighty God, and so we are restoring the holiday to that day,” Mahama said in the video.
Ghana became a republic on July 1, 1960, under the leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Until the law was amended in 2019 under President Akufo-Addo’s administration, Republic Day was commemorated as a statutory holiday.
The amendment, which sparked public debates at the time, introduced January 7 as Constitution Day and August 4 as Founders’ Day. It also renamed September 21 — originally Founder’s Day — as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
But Mahama believes the removal of Republic Day diminished a vital moment in Ghana’s independence story. He announced plans to mark the day not only as a national holiday but also as a day of rest and thanksgiving to God.
“The holiday was taken away, we are bringing it back. As the Archbishop said on that day, we will take a rest and we will come and pray to God for giving us our country, Ghana,” he affirmed.
According to him, the day will also serve as a National Thanksgiving Day, uniting both Christians and Muslims in prayer for Ghana’s peace and progress.
“So we’ve set up a task force that is going to do all the planning.
“This will bring all Christian denominations in Ghana together, and the Muslims will also have theirs. But all of us will take a day of rest and pray and thank God for protecting and preserving our country,” Mahama stated.
