The Africa Development Council has questioned the exclusion of Ghana’s traditional religious practices from the maiden National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving set for July 1.

The council said better inclusion was needed to ensure national cohesion.

It noted the country’s diverse religious landscape, emphasising that Ghana spans beyond Christianity and Islam.

“Ghana does not consist of only Christian and Muslim faiths. Even though statistics might have shown that the majority of Ghana’s population is of Christian faith, in reality, traditional faith permeates both Christian and Muslim communities across the country."

“The role of the national council of chiefs, the Traditional Healers Association, and others is of crucial importance in nation building."

The council argued that traditional authorities have long served as pillars of Ghana’s unity and progress and urged a more inclusive handling of the day of prayer.

It also urged President John Mahama to mandate the inclusion of traditional prayers at the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving.

Mahama had promised a multi-faith day of prayer if he became president.

In line with this, he also announced plans to restore Republic Day on July 1 as a statutory national holiday in Ghana for the day of prayer to be held on.

On June 25, Parliament passed the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which returned July 1’s Republic Day to statutory holiday status.

The bill also scrapped August 4 as Founders' Day and reinstated September 21, which is the birthday of Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, as Founders' Day.

Another major change in the bill empowered the president to shift public holidays that fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays to either the following Friday or preceding Monday, to improve national productivity and scheduling flexibility.

The bill was passed under a certificate of urgency after being presented by the Minister of the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, on June 24, 2025.

That was after the Committee on Defence and Interior and the leadership of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs considered it to be urgent.

Moving the motion to adopt the committee’s report, Muntaka said the government had looked at the number of holidays and, in line with some of the promises it had made with regards to the holidays, had restructured the holidays to take away those that were controversial.

reported that Mahama previously promised and delivered Muslims an additional Eid holiday if he became president.

Making the promise for the first time when he was the National Democratic Congress flagbearer, the president said he wanted Muslims to enjoy the Eid holidays at the end of Ramadan.

His promise was in response to concerns that the Muslim community members cannot enjoy the Eid holiday at the end of Ramadan.

He added that they would remove one other holiday to ensure Ghana has the same number of public holidays annually.

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Source: YEN.com.gh