Years ago, as a primary school student, I stumbled upon a newspaper article that would stick with me for decades. The writer was lamenting how public holidays falling at midweek disrupted work productivity and suggested Ghana should follow countries like the UK, which had shifted their holidays to Mondays.
At the time, my young mind could not grasp what the fuss was about. Holidays were holidays, weren’t they?
Fast-forward to my late twenties, pursuing a PhD in the UK, and I was introduced experientially to the concept of bank holidays. Initially, they seemed randomly scattered across the calendar until I discovered that bank holidays got their name from the Bank Holidays Act of 1871.
The Act designated specific days when banks were required by law to close, eventually extending to other businesses and giving workers guaranteed time off. The beauty of the British system became clear: long weekends that allowed for proper rest, family time, and short getaways without the awkward dance of taking additional leave days.
Returning to Ghana, I found myself among the ranks of those who dreaded midweek holidays. Thursday holidays were particularly awful. Knowing you would have to drag yourself to work on Friday, felt like the worst possible timing. It was like cruel punishment. I often told friends and family that I wished our holidays would move to Fridays. In my observation, Ghanaians tend to bring their best energy to the start of the week. Work energy peaks on Mondays and rapidly declines toward Fridays. If we were going to lose a day to holidays, why not make it Friday? Beyond work productivity, there were practical social benefits: funerals, engagements, outdoorings, and other important gatherings could be attended without the uncomfortable drama of fabricating excuses for HR.
So, when Interior Minister Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak announced the implementation of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, 2021 (Act 601) to move midweek holidays to Fridays, it was nothing short of an ecstatic moment.
Finally, we could plan proper long weekends. My children could spend extended time with their cousins while my sweetie pie and I could drive to Accra to watch Uncle Ebo Whyte’s plays without the constraint of a single day off.
Among the reasons the Minister cited was the potential boost to tourism. It is a compelling argument since long weekends are gold for tourism. People are far more likely to explore the country when they have that crucial buffer day that transforms a quick trip into a proper getaway.
But here is where the policy rubber meets the road, quite literally. The Interior Minister has announced this welcome change, but it is now over to the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza, to ensure our infrastructure can support the drive. What good are long weekends if families are genuinely fearful of traveling to see relatives in other regions? How can we boost domestic tourism when the journey to our beautiful sites feels like a gamble with one’s safety? The last time we drove to Accra (about 2 months ago), it cost us our two front shock absorbers. The holiday reform creates the opportunity, but road infrastructure will determine whether Ghanaians can actually seize it.
The shift to Friday holidays represents more than just calendar reshuffling. It is recognition that policy should work with human nature rather than against it. It acknowledges that social cohesion matters, that family time has value, and that sometimes the best government decisions are the ones that simply make ordinary life a little bit easier.
From that confused primary school student to a relieved adult, I can finally say: we got there. Now let’s make sure we can actually get there safely. Over to you Efo Governs.
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The writer is an optometrist and senior lecturer at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Cape Coast, Coast. He can be contacted via email at enyammorny@gmail.com
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