Constitution Day in Ghana is a statutory holiday that commemorates the establishment of a new constitution for the Fourth Republic of Ghana in January 1993.
The Constitution of the Fourth Republic of Ghana is known popularly as the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
Constitution Day is marked on the 7th of January every year after the presidential and parliamentary elections and election of a new President and new Members of Parliament.
In an election year, Constitution Day marks the first day of a new Parliament, when the old Parliament of Ghana is dissolved on midnight the 6th of January after polls.
After the first three constitutions were rendered invalid by military coups, the fourth constitution was adopted after a referendum held on April 28, 1992, and established on the 7th of January 1993.
This day is thus celebrated each year to celebrate the effort to maintain and sustain the fourth republic over the years and the birthing of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
The day became a holiday after the enactment of the Public Holidays Act of 2001, Section 2 (Act 601) and was first observed as such on 7th January 2019.
There is no known schedule of activities to mark the day at the national level, however, in 2020, Dr Kojo Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD) and Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director, Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) underscored the need to engage the citizenry in schools and communities on the relevance of Ghana's Constitution Day.
The Day marks the adoption of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of Ghana on January 7, 1993, and has been declared as a holiday under section 2 of the Public Holiday Act, 2001 (Act 601).
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), in a statement to commemorate the Day, said having uninterrupted Constitutional rule for 29 years was a milestone that must be celebrated recalling the chequered political history and the overthrow of three previous Republican Constitutions, which were truncated by military interventions.
The Commission enjoined the citizenry to celebrate the Fourth Republican 1992 Constitution, and also encouraged the study of the fundamental law as a guide to civic rights and responsibilities.
The NCCE has reminded Ghanaians of their collective commitment to uphold and defend the 1992 Constitution against interference and interruptions.