President Mahama Announces Additional Public Holiday for Eid al-Fitr and Hajj Task Force

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John Dramani Mahama
John Dramani Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled plans to introduce an additional public holiday for Eid al-Fitr, fulfilling a campaign promise aimed at honouring Islamic traditions in Ghana.

The announcement was made during a National Muslim Prayer and Thanksgiving event at the National Mosque in Kanda, Accra, on Friday, January 10.

“As part of our promises, we assured the Muslim community of adding one more holiday to the Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Once Parliament resumes, we will amend the Holidays Act to officially recognise an additional day for the Sallah festivities,” President Mahama stated, to the delight of attendees.

With this change, Ghanaians will soon have two public holidays dedicated to the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, following the end of Ramadan. Mahama further assured the public that the necessary legislative amendments would be fast-tracked to ensure the change is implemented within the year.

In addition to the Eid al-Fitr holiday announcement, the President also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to making the Hajj pilgrimage more accessible for Ghanaian Muslims. To facilitate this, he revealed the formation of a five-member Hajj task force, headed by Asutifi South MP Collins Dauda.

“The task force’s main responsibility will be to negotiate arrangements that will drastically reduce Hajj fares, ensuring that more Muslims who wish to perform the pilgrimage can afford to do so,” President Mahama explained.

The newly appointed task force is set to travel to Saudi Arabia next week for the annual Hajj conference, where they will engage in discussions to help lower the cost of travel for Ghanaian pilgrims.

This initiative is seen as a significant move to support the Muslim community in Ghana, by recognising their religious practices while addressing practical concerns such as the affordability of pilgrimage.

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