President Mahama Declares September 22 a Public Holiday, Reinstates Founder's Day
- This year's Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, which falls on Sunday, September 21, 2025, would be observed on Monday, September 2-25
- The Ministry of the Interior, led by Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has released a statement confirming the date change
- The statement also presented a change from Kwame Nkrumah's Memorial Day back to Founder's Day
Ghana's presidency has released an official statement regarding this year's Founder's Day public holiday.
Source: Facebook
The statement released on Wednesday, September 17, confirmed that the holiday, which falls on Sunday, September 21, will be observed on Monday.
The general public is hereby informed that Sunday, 21st September 2025, marks Founder’s Day, which is a Statutory Public Holiday.
However, in view of the fact that 21st September 2025 falls on a Sunday, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, has, by Executive Instrument (E.I), in accordance with Section 2 of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act (Act 601), as amended, declared Monday, 22nd September 2025, as Additional Public Holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.
This comes after the ninth parliament revised Ghana's holiday calendar, reinstating July 1 as Republic Day.
A new holiday, Shaqq Day, has been introduced, while Nkrumah's birthday on September 21 has been restored as Founder's Day.
Source: Getty Images
What happened to Founders' Day?
In 2019, Parliament under former president Nana Akufo-Addo approved August 4 as Founder's Day.
The decision aimed at honouring the various heroes and heroines who contributed to the independence struggle.
However, critics established that the change was a partisan effort, spotlighting icons of the New Patriotic Party political tradition and an attempt by Akufo-Addo to undermine Nkrumah and to exalt his family members, who had been part of the country’s independence struggle.
The president’s family members, like J.B. Danquah, William Ofori-Atta and others, are also infamously remembered for their opposition to Kwame Nkrumah and his independence struggle.
Ghanaians react to the new Founder's Day
YEN.com.gh gathered a few comments from social media users.
Jah Vice Wan said:
We know our history ooooo so if you are not from Ghana don't come and change our history for Us ooooo yooo,,we say founder you say founders why was your father part of them,,or you didn't go to school to learn your history🤣🤣🤣🤣
Marine Jackson wrote:
I beg the founder be one. Don't bring anything more than one
Kobby Guy-Guy remarked:
Founder’s day as in one person’s day celebration not founders day as in lots of people
NPP to protest against state-sponsored harassment
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the youth wing of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) had shared plans to embark on a massive demonstration.
The party led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Justin Kodua said it would stage the protest in Accra on September 23, 2025, over what it described as state-sponsored harassment and abuse of power
Source: YEN.com.gh
