A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. African National Holidays
Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history, such as the National Day. For example, Australians celebrate Australia Day.
They vary by country and may vary by year. With 36 days a year, Nepal is the country with the highest number of public holidays but it observes six working days a week. India ranks second with 21 national holidays, followed by Colombia and the Philippines at 18 each. Likewise, China and Hong Kong enjoy 17 public breaks a year.[1] Some countries (e.g. Cambodia) with a longer, six-day workweek, have more holidays (28) to compensate.[2]
The public holidays are generally days of celebration, like the anniversary of a significant historical event, or can be a religious celebration like Diwali. Holidays can land on a specific day of the year, be tied to a certain day of the week in a certain month or follow other calendar systems like the Lunar Calendar.
French Journée de solidarité envers les personnes âgées (Day of solidarity with the elderly) is a notable exception. This holiday became a mandatory working day although the French Council of State confirmed it remains a holiday.
The African states celebrates several key holidays or commemorative days as listed below
Africa Environment and Wangari Maathai Day 3rd March
Africa Day 25th May
Africa Border Day 7th June
Africa Child Day 16th June
African Refugee Day/ World Refugee Day 20th June
African Public Service Day 23rd June
Day of Africa ‘s Scientific Renaissance 30th June
Africa Day of Seas and Oceans 25th July
Africa’s Women Day 31st July
Africa Day of Decentralisation and Local Development 10th August
African Traditional Medicine Day 31st August
African Union Day 9th September
Africa Human Rights Day 21st October
Africa Food Security and Nutrition Day 30th October
Africa Youth Day 1st November
African Statistics Day 18th November
Africa Industrialisation Day 20th November
Africa Telecommunications and ICT Day 7th December
Day of African Sport 14th December
