The Flagstaff House
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| The Flagstaff House | |
|---|---|
Flagstaff House and Presidential Palace
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| Alternative names | Golden Jubilee House |
| General information | |
| Location | Accra, Ghana |
| Inaugurated | November 2008 |
| Cost | $ 30-50 million |
The Flagstaff House, also known as the "Golden Jubilee House", is the presidential palace in Accra which serves as a residence and office to the President of Ghana.[1] Flagstaff House is built on the site of a building which was constructed and used for administrative purposes by the British Gold Coast Government. The previous seat of the government of Ghana is the Osu Castle.
History
Flagstaff House was reconstructed and inaugurated by the government of John Agyekum Kufour with the name Golden Jubilee House in November 2008 when construction was about 70% - 80% completed. In January 2009, the incoming government of President 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[2] claiming that the previous government had not used a Legislative Instrument to effect the change as required by law.[3] 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.[4] The seat of government was moved back to the Flagstaff House in January 2013.[5]
Construction cost
The original budget for the reconstruction of $30m was a loan 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.[1]
Notable events
- On 24 February 1966, soldiers stormed Flagstaff house as part of a military coup ousting Ghana's First President Kwame Nkrumah[6] in a coup allegedly supported by the CIA.
- In 2002, thousands of Liberian 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.
- In July 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama and his family were hosted by Ghana's President John Atta Mills to a breakfast at the Osu Castle.[7]
Re-construction
The re-construction of the presidential palace and building by the government of John Agyekum Kufour who belonged to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was criticized by the opposition party NDC during the 2008 elections.[8] The NDC government when sworn into office on 7 January 2009, had refused to utilize the Flagstaff House preferring Osu Castle as the seat of government.[9] The house was temporarily used as offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[10]
References
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- ↑ Nkrumah, Fathia. myjoyonline.com. 14 August 2007.
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- ↑ Move to the Flagstaff House. 17 August 2011.
- ↑ Golden Jubilee House renamed Flagstaff House. myjoyonline.com. 3 August 2010.
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