President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to introduce an additional public holiday for Eid al-Fitr, fulfilling a campaign promise to honour Islamic traditions in Ghana.
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,” President Mahama stated.
With this initiative, Ghanaians will have two public holidays to celebrate Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan.
The President assured that legislative amendments would be expedited to implement the change within the year.
In addition to the new holiday, President Mahama reaffirmed his government’s efforts to make the Hajj pilgrimage more accessible. He announced the formation of a five-member Hajj task force, led by Asutifi South MP, Collins Dauda.
“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,” Mahama revealed.
The task force is set to travel to Saudi Arabia next week to attend the annual Hajj conference, where discussions will centre on lowering costs for Ghanaian pilgrims.
