Founders’ Day: August 4 declared Public Holiday

August 4 is Founders’ Day public holiday

GRAPHIC.COM.GH Aug - 03 - 2020 , 14:35 2 minutes read

The Ministry of Interior has reminded the public that Tuesday, August 4, 2020 which marks Founders’ Day is a statutory Public Holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country.

"The general public is advised to observe the safety protocols associated with the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), especially in relation to social events at public places," the Ministry said in a statement signed by the sector Minister, Ambrose Dery.

Know all the Ghanaian holidays in 2020

Founders’ Day

A new Public Holidays Amendment Bill, 2018, was laid in Parliament by the Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, and passed to amend the Public Holiday Act, 2001 in 2018.

The new amendment bill quashed three public holidays and introduced two new holidays.

This followed a proposal by President Akufo-Addo that August 4 should be observed as Founders’ Day in memory of the successive generations of Ghanaians who contributed to the liberation of the country from colonial rule and September 21 set aside as a memorial day for Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, who was instrumental in the fight for the 6th March independence.

The affected holidays were the Republic Holiday which fell on July 1, African Union (AU) Holiday which fell on May 25 and the Founder’s Day which was on Kwame Nkrumah's birthday, September 21.

The bill explained that August 4 is being made a public holiday in place of Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day because the real fight for Ghana’s independence started on August 4, 1947, when some Ghanaian patriots like George Alfred Grant, J.B. Danquah, R.A. Awoonor-Williams, Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer Ako Adjei and some chiefs formed the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) founded on the foundation of the Fante Confederacy of 1868 and Aboriginal Rights Protection Society of 1897 for the independence of Ghana.

Two opposition political parties; the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) have hinted at scrapping the Founders’ Day holiday should they win political power.