Ghanaians Commemorate Kwame Nkrumah’s Birthday as Founder’s Day is Restored

Accra: Ghanaians are marking Founder's Day today, September 21, 2025, to commemorate the birthday of Ghana's first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who was previously Prime Minister and a prominent advocate for continental unity and the liberation of the black race. In a statement signed by the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, it was announced that President John Dramani Mahama had, by Executive Instrument, declared the holiday to be observed nationwide in accordance with the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, as amended.According to Ghana News Agency, the celebration of the day has previously been marked with some controversy. The Government of former and late President John Evans Atta Mills initiated legislation in Parliament to declare September 21 a holiday in memory of Dr Nkrumah. In September 2009, President John Atta Mills declared September 21st (the centenary of Kwame Nkrumah's birth in 1909) to be Founder's Day, a statutory holiday in Ghana.The Founder's Day ver sus Founders Day debate has been a longstanding issue, highlighted in 2017 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's speech at Ghana's 60th independence anniversary parade. Some believe that Dr Nkrumah is the sole founder of Ghana, while others argue that multiple figures, including members of the Big Six, contributed to the founding of modern Ghana. In 2017, President Akufo-Addo proposed legislation to designate August 4 as Founders Day, with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's birthday on September 21 to be observed as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.This year, Founder's Day falls on Sunday, September 21. By law, when a statutory holiday falls on a weekend, the President may declare the following Monday as the observed holiday. The Western Nzema Youth League (WNYL), a youth group, has praised the government for restoring Founder's Day to September 21, Dr Nkrumah's birthday.Dr Patrick Ekye Kwesie, Leader of the WNYL, expressed in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that reverting the day was a significant move resonatin g with Ghana's historical and cultural fabric. He emphasized that the decision was not merely about changing a date but symbolized a profound recognition of Dr Nkrumah's pivotal role in Ghana's independence and his enduring legacy as a champion of Pan-Africanism.Dr Kwesie stated that by reinstating Dr Nkrumah's birthday as a national holiday, the government had taken a bold step towards addressing historical oversight and honoring a leader whose ideals continue to inspire generations. He remarked that Nkrumah's birthday is not just a celebration of an individual, but a commemoration of the values of freedom, unity, and self-determination that he espoused. It serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by the early leaders of Ghana and the sacrifices made for the nation's sovereignty.