National Day of Ghana

national dayThe National Day of Ghana is on the 6 March (Independence Day, from the United Kingdom 1957). Likewise it celebrates the day in 1957 when Ghana who was formerly known as the Gold Coast. They gained its independence from British colonial rule. This is a big day in Ghana and it is a public holiday in Ghana.

National Day of Ghana

Likewise the process to independence was a gradual process. Ghana started political parties in the 1940’s and then in the 1950’s there had been many demonstrations in the country. Then in 1949 Kwame Nkrumah who was a Ghanaian nationalist and leader of the UGCC, formed the CPP. The party quickly gained popularity and became the leading voice for Ghanaian independence.

This was followed on 1951 with constitutional reforms from the British government that allowed for greater African representation in the colonial government. Finally in In 1951 Ghana held its first general elections under the new constitution. This is when the CPP won a majority of seats and formed a government. Kwame Nkrumah as Prime Minister and in 1954 the British government granted Ghana full self-government, with Nkrumah as the country’s first Prime Minister.

On March 6, 1957, Ghana officially gained its independence from British colonial rule, with Nkrumah as the country’s first President.

Likewise see the National Day of Lesotho as well as the National Day of Kenya and the National Day of Mauritania.

Public Holidays in Ghana

he following is a list of public holidays observed in Ghana:

  • New Year’s Day – January 1st
  • Constitution Day – January 7th
  • Independence Day – March 6th
  • Good Friday – varies each year (usually in March or April)
  • Easter Monday – varies each year (usually in March or April)
  • May Day (Labor Day) – May 1st
  • Eid al-Fitr – varies each year (based on the Islamic calendar)
  • Republic Day – July 1st
  • Eid al-Adha – varies each year (based on the Islamic calendar)
  • Founders’ Day – August 4th
  • Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day – September 21st
  • Farmers’ Day – first Friday in December
  • Christmas Day – December 25th
  • Boxing Day – December 26th
See also  National Day of Poland

Please note that if any of the above holidays fall on a weekend, the following working day is usually observed as a public holiday. See also the Bangladesh national days as well as the Thailand independence day.