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HOLIDAYS ACT, 2001 (ACT 601)
As amended
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
1. Public holidays
2. Additional holidays
3. Substituted holidays
4. Prohibition of business on
public holidays
5. Offences and penalties
6. Exemptions
7. Interpretation
8. Repeals
SCHEDULE
Schedule
THE SIX HUNDRED AND FIRST
ACT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF GHANA
ENTITLED
THE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS ACT, 2001
AN ACT to revise the law on
statutory public holidays and to
provide for related purposes.
DATE OF ASSENT: 1st June, 2001.
BE IT ENACTED by Parliament as
follows:
Section 1—Public Holidays
A
day specified in the Schedule is
hereby declared a public holiday
throughout the Republic.
Section 2—Additional Holidays
In addition to the public holidays
provided under section 1, the
President may, in the public
interest, by executive instrument
declare any other day to be a
public holiday.
Section 3—Substituted Holidays
Where the President is satisfied
that it would be inexpedient for a
day provided in section 1 to be
observed as a public holiday, the
President may by executive
instrument declare any other day
to be observed as a public holiday
instead of that day.
Section 4—Prohibition of Business
on Public Holidays
(1) Subject to sections 1, 3 and 6
and subsection (2) of this
section, a person shall not open a
shop for the purposes of selling
or trading or engage in a business
on a public holiday.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply
to
(a) food or grocery shops;
(b) drug or pharmacy shops;
(c) licensed restaurants or
hotels;
(d) local markets for sale of food
or foodstuffs;
(e) premises licensed for sale of
spirit, wine, and beer under the
Liquor Licensing Act, 1970 (Act
331);
(f) the running of an essential
public service specified in
subsection (3) of this section.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph
(f) of subsection (2), "essential
public service" means any of the
following
(a) water supply services;
(b) electricity supply services;
(c) health and hospital services;
(d) sanitary services;
(e) air traffic and civil aviation
control services;
(f) meteorological services;
(g) fire services;
(h) air transport services;
(i)
supply and distribution of fuel,
petrol, power and light;
(j) telecommunications services;
(k) public transport services.
Section 5—Offences and Penalties
(1) A person who contravenes
section 4 commits an offence and
is liable on summary conviction to
a fine not exceeding 100 penalty
units or to a term of imprisonment
not exceeding three months or to
both.
(2) Where an offence under section
4 is committed by a body of
persons,
(a) in the case of a body
corporate, every director or
officer of that body corporate
shall be deemed to have committed
that offence;
(b) in the case of a partnership
or firm, every partner of the
partnership or firm shall be
deemed to have committed that
offence.
(3) A person shall not be
convicted of an offence under
subsection (2) if it is proved
that the act which constitutes the
offence was committed by some
other person without the consent
or connivance of that person and
that due diligence was exercised
to prevent the commission of that
act having regard to all the
circumstances.
Section 6—Exemptions
Where the President is satisfied
that it is in the public interest
to do so, the President may by
executive instrument exempt a
class of business or a particular
business from section 4(1).
Section 7—Interpretation
For the purposes of the Act,
"shop" includes a store or any
premises for the sale of goods.
Section 8—Repeals
The Public Holidays Law, 1989, (P.N.D.C.L.
220) as amended by the Public
Holidays (Schedule Amendment) Law
1992, (P.N.D.C.L. 274) and Public
Holidays (Amendment) Act, 1995
(Act 507) is hereby repealed.
SCHEDULE
New Year's Day (1st January)
Independence Day (6th March)
Good Friday
Easter Monday
Eid-al Adha Festival (Hajj)
Eid-al Fitr (Ramadan)
Worker's Day (1st May)
Africa Day (25th May)[As inserted
by the Public Holidays (Amendment)
Act, 2002 (Act 626), s.1]
Republic Day (1st July)
Farmers Day (1st Friday in
December)
Christmas Day (25th December)
Boxing Day (26th December)
Date of Gazette Notification: 1st
June, 2001.
amended by
THE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS (AMENDMENT)
ACT, 2002 (ACT 626).1
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