President John Mahama has announced plans to amend Ghana’s Holidays Act to include an additional public holiday for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
This declaration 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,” Mahama said.
This initiative means that after the conclusion of Ramadan, Ghanaians will have two public holidays to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
Mahama assured that the necessary legislative processes would be expedited to ensure the change is implemented this year.
President Mahama also reaffirmed 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.
According to him, 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.