| Jubilee House | |
|---|---|
 Jubilee House andPresidential Palace | |
 | |
| Former names | Flagstaff House |
| Alternative names | Golden Jubilee House |
| General information | |
| Location | Accra,Ghana |
| Inaugurated | November 2008 |
| Cost | $ 35–50 million |
| Owner | Government of Ghana |
Jubilee House is thepresidential palace inAccra that serves as a residence and office to thePresident of Ghana.[1] Jubilee House is built on the site of a building that was constructed and used for administrative purposes by the British Gold Coast Government. The previous seat of government of Ghana wasOsu Castle. It was named Golden Jubilee House by President John Agyekum Kuffour in November 2008 to coincide with the 50th year of Ghana's independence. It has since reverted to Jubilee House.[2] It has previously been known asThe Flagstaff House.
The Flagstaff House, as it was previously known, was reconstructed and inaugurated by the government ofJohn Agyekum Kufour with the name Golden Jubilee House in November 2008 when construction was about 70%–80% completed.[3] In January 2009, the incoming government of PresidentJohn Atta Mills moved the office of the president back toOsu Castle and later changed the sign in front of the building back to its original name[4] claiming that the previous government had not used a Legislative Instrument to effect the change as required by law.[5] The Mills government was in turn criticized that the name Flagstaff House which was given to the building by the BritishGold Coast government glorifies Ghana's Gold Coast past.[6] The seat of government was moved back to Flagstaff House in January 2013 byJohn Dramani Mahama.[7]
The original budget for the reconstruction of $30m was a grant from theIndian 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]
The re-construction of the presidential palace and building by the government ofJohn Agyekum Kufour, who belonged to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), was criticized by the opposition partyNational Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2008 elections.[15] The NDC government when sworn into office on 7 January 2009 refused to utilize Flagstaff House, preferringOsu Castle as the seat of government.[16] The house was temporarily used as offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[17]
5°34′47.1″N00°11′18.5″W / 5.579750°N 0.188472°W /5.579750; -0.188472
