Jubilee House is the presidential palace in Accra that serves as a residence and office to the President of Ghana.
History
The Flagstaff House, as it was previously known, was reconstructed and inaugurated by the government of
John Kufuor with the name Golden Jubilee House in November 2008 when construction was about 70%–80% completed.
In January 2009, the incoming government of President John Atta Mills moved the office of the president back to
Osu Castle and later changed the sign in front of the building back to its original name
claiming that the previous government had not used a Legislative Instrument to effect the change as required by law.
The Mills government was in turn criticized that the name Flagstaff House which was given to the building by the British Gold Coast government glorifies Ghana's Gold Coast past.
The seat of government was moved back to Flagstaff House in January 2013 by
John Mahama.
Construction cost
The original budget for the reconstruction of $30m was a grant from the Indian government. However,
BBC journalist David Amanor reported the construction may have cost as much as $45–50m. Building of the palace was overseen by an Indian contractor who used Ghanaian sub-contractors.
Notable events
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On 24 February 1966, soldiers stormed Flagstaff house as part of a military coup ousting Ghana's First President Kwame Nkrumah
[ Nkrumah, Fathia . MyJoyOnline. 14 August 2007.] in a coup supported by the CIA.
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In 2002, thousands of women led by Leymah Gbowee staged a silent protest outside the previous presidential palace in Accra and demanded a resolution to the country's civil war. Their actions brought about an agreement that achieved peace in Liberia after a 14-year civil war. The story is told in a 2008 documentary film called Pray the Devil Back to Hell
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On 4 January 2017, President John Mahama took then President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo on a tour of the Jubilee house.
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On 26 July 2017, Mrs. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, president of Malta and her spouse, Edgar Preca visited the Jubilee House.
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On 6 April 2018, Mr. George Weah, President of Liberia, visited the Jubilee house.
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On 22 October 2018, Brigadier (Rtd.) Julius Madaa Bio, president of Sierra Leone visited the Jubilee House.
Re-construction
The re-construction of the presidential palace and building by the government of
John Kufuor, who belonged to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), was criticized by the opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2008 elections.
The NDC government when sworn into office on 7 January 2009 refused to utilize Flagstaff House, preferring
Osu Castle as the seat of government.
[ Move to Flagstaff House . 17 August 2011.] The house was temporarily used as offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[ "Golden Jubilee House renamed Flagstaff House" . MyJoyOnline. 3 August 2010.]
External links
