Is today a public holiday in Ghana?

Public Holidays Act 601, Labour Act 651 & GhIPSS Clearing Rails

In the Republic of Ghana, statutory public holidays are codified under the Public Holidays Act, 2001 (Act 601), administered by the Ministry of the Interior. The statute establishes 13 permanent statutory public holidays per calendar year, commemorating national historic milestones and major Christian and Islamic holy days.

Executive Instruments & The Monday Rollover Rule

Under Section 2 of the Public Holidays Act (Act 601), when an official statutory holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the day off does not disappear. Instead, the statute empowers the President of Ghana to issue an Executive Instrument (E.I.) gazetting the immediately following Monday (or Monday and Tuesday, in the event of consecutive weekend holidays) as an official statutory public holiday.

Labour Act 2003 (Act 651, Section 72) Pay Protections

Under Section 72 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), every employee is entitled to full pay on statutory public holidays. Employers cannot make deductions from basic remuneration for unworked holidays.

Where an enterprise operates continuous operations (such as manufacturing, mining, healthcare, or security) requiring staff to work on a public holiday, statutory compensation must be provided via:

• An agreed overtime remuneration premium established under Section 35 of Act 651 and applicable collective bargaining agreements; or
• An alternative compensatory paid rest day in lieu within the statutory pay cycle.

Banking Clearing Rails: Bank of Ghana, GIS & GhIPSS 24/7

Payment systems and interbank settlement across Ghana are overseen by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and operated by the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS):

• Wholesale Rails (GIS): The Ghana Interbank Settlement (GIS) RTGS system halts wholesale interbank clearings on gazetted public holidays and statutory Monday in-lieu dates. Standard cheque clearing and automated clearing house (ACH) batches pause. Calculate contractual turnaround times with our Working Days Calculator.
• Instant Retail & Mobile Money: The GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP) system and interoperable Mobile Money (MoMo) rails (MTN, Telecel, AT) operate 24/7/365. Consumer account-to-wallet and wallet-to-wallet transfers process instantly regardless of national holiday declarations.

Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE Trading Operations)

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) in Accra suspends equity and bond market trading sessions on all statutory holidays and executive-decreed Monday substitute days, resuming standard market hours on the next operational business day.

Ghana Payment Rails, Exchange Cutoffs & Statutory Pay Matrix (2026–2027)

When a statutory public holiday or in-lieu bank holiday occurs in Ghana, commercial banking counters, central bank real-time gross settlement (RTGS) rails, and retail instant payment systems follow distinct operational rules:

Key 2026 vs. 2027 Holiday Date Shifts & Bridge-Day Planning in Ghana

Because fixed calendar holidays shift one weekday forward between 2026 and 2027 (and movable lunar or liturgical holidays shift by 10 to 15 days), HR teams, payroll processors, and employees in Ghana should account for the following 2026–2027 date comparisons and leave-bridge opportunities: