Today is the maiden Constitution Day public Holiday.

The day has been set aside by the Akufo-Addo administration to recognize the coming into force of the 1992 constitution and the beginning of the 4th Republic to enable the public use the day to reflect on the country’s democracy.

As part of government’s activities to mark the day, the Ministry for Information is holding a public lecture under the theme, “Constitutionalism in The Fourth Republic Towards Functional Performance”.

The lecture will be delivered by the rector of GIMPA, Prof. Bondzi-Simpson.

The government presented a bill before parliament to amend the Public Holidays Act to include January 7, August 4 and September 21 as statutory public holidays.

It also made July 1, formerly a Republic Day Holiday, a commemorative day just as May 25, which was AU Day Holiday.

NCCE Endorses Constitution Day

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) is urging Ghanaians to ensure that provisions in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana are made part and parcel of their daily lives as it endorses the marking of 7th January as Constitution Day by the state.

“As we celebrate the first Constitution Day holiday, the NCCE calls all citizens to make the study and application of provisions of the constitution part of our daily lives. It is then that we can be seen to be upholding constitutionalism in Ghana.” The NCCE said this in a statement signed by the Chairman of the Commission Mrs. Josephine Nkrumah on Monday.

The Commission remarked that as an institution mandated to promote constitutional democracy, it has since 2001 engaged Ghanaians through its Annual Constitution Week (28th April to 4th May) to commemorate the acceptance of the 1992 Constitution through a referendum and Ghana’s return to constitutional rule.

The Annual Constitution Week provides the platform where the NCCE reminds Ghanaians that having opted for constitutional democracy as the preferred choice of government; the 1992 Constitution binds Ghanaians together as a people and guarantees their rights, freedoms and aspirations.