President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to introduce a second holiday for the 2025 Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
The initiative, which fulfills his campaign promise ahead of the 2024 election, will provide Ghanaians with two public holidays following the Ramadan period.
Mr. Mahama was speaking during a National Muslim Prayer and Thanksgiving event held at the National Mosque in Kanda, Accra, on Friday, January 10.
President Mahama pledged his commitment to honoring the cultural and religious diversity of the country.
“As part of our promises, we assured the Muslim community that we would add one more holiday to the Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Once Parliament resumes, we will amend the Holidays Act to officially recognize an additional day for the Sallah festivities,” Mahama said.
Mr. Mahama noted that the necessary legislative processes would be expedited to ensure the change is implemented this year.
He further reiterated his administration’s dedication to making the Hajj pilgrimage more affordable for Muslims, revealing the formation of a five-member Hajj task force, led by Asutifi South MP, Collins Dauda.
The President revealed that the task force will travel to Saudi Arabia next week to participate in the annual Hajj conference.
“One of their primary responsibilities is to negotiate arrangements that will drastically reduce Hajj fares. This will enable more Muslims who wish to perform the pilgrimage to fulfill this religious obligation,” he stated.
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