January 9th Declared Public Holiday Not January 7th

The government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Interior, has declared Friday, January 9th, as a public holiday instead of the 7th of January, 2026. 7th January is an official day on which Ghana marks Constitution Day.

The Ministry of the Interior has formally declared Friday, January 9, 2026, a statutory public holiday across Ghana, shifting the observance of Constitution Day from its traditional date of Wednesday, January 7th.

This declaration is not an arbitrary choice but a direct and legal application of the recently passed Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1142). The move, sanctioned by an Executive Instrument (E.I.) signed by His Excellency the President, is Ghana’s latest legislative effort to rationalize national holidays, improve worker productivity, and boost domestic tourism.

Understanding the Law: Act 1142 and Substituted Holidays

Constitution Day, which commemorates the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution and the birth of the Fourth Republic on January 7, 1993, remains enshrined in Ghana’s law as a public holiday. The legal mechanism for the date change is found in the updated provisions concerning substituted holidays under the parent law, Act 601.

The New Substitution Rule (Act 1142):

The core of the change is simple but impactful: Parliament, after passing the Amendment Bill in June 2025, mandated that most public holidays falling in the middle of the workweek are to be shifted to create a long weekend.

“In view of the fact that 7th January 2026 falls on a Wednesday, 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 Friday, 9t¹h January 2026, as a Public Holida²y…”

— Statement by the Ministry of the Interior, January 2, 2026.

The shift of the mid-week Constitution Day (Wednesday, Jan 7th) to Friday, January 9th, 2026, is the first significant test case for this new law.

The Economic and Productivity Rationale

The government, through the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, argued strongly for the amendment in Parliament, stating that mid-week holidays often lead to a perceived dip in overall national productivity, as they break the flow of the working week without providing significant recuperative time.

The new structure is designed to yield valuable returns:

1. Enhanced Productivity: By grouping days off into a long weekend, the intention is to allow employees to return to work more rested and focused, optimizing the four-day work week that results.
2. Tourism and Commerce Boost: The certainty of a three-day weekend is expected to spur domestic tourism. Ghanaians are encouraged to travel, stay in hotels, and patronize local hospitality businesses, providing a much-needed economic injection to the sector.
3. National Cohesion: By having a common long weekend, the government argues it fosters more unified national observance and cultural participation.

READ: No Fees Stress Refund Portal For 2025/2026 Academic Year Opened – Apply Here

The Political Context: A Unanimous Calendar?

The passage of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was not without political contention. While the shift to Friday for midweek holidays was generally welcomed, the bill also included other significant calendar changes:

• Restoration of July 1st as a full statutory public holiday (Republic Day).
• Reinstatement of September 21st as Founder’s Day (honouring Dr. Kwame Nkrumah), replacing the controversial August 4th Founders’ Day.
• Introduction of Shaqq Day as an additional holiday for the Muslim community, observed the day after Eid-ul-Fitr (Note: Religious holidays like Eid and Christmas are exempt from the Friday substitution rule).

While the Minority in Parliament criticized the government’s decision to fast-track the amendment under a certificate of urgency—arguing that more pressing socio-economic challenges required immediate attention—the bill ultimately passed, solidifying the new holiday calendar framework.