The State House is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

President of Sierra Leone The president of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. As the head of the executive branch of the Sierra Leone government, the presi ...

. It is home to the offices of the president, senior presidential staff and associated aides. The State House is located at State Avenue,

Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...

, in central

Freetown Freetown is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educ ...

History

The State House is located on State Avenue,

, in central

. Built in 1895, it was initially called Fort Thornton. During the colonial period it was used as the residence of the Governor of Sierra Leone. It was the official residence of the

Prime Minister of Sierra Leone This is a list of heads of government of Sierra Leone, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1954 until the present day. The office of Prime Minister was abolished after the constitutional referendum in 1978, and reinstated ...

from 19611971, after which it became the residence of the president.

Security

As the residence of the president of Sierra Leone, the State House is constantly protected by the

Presidential Guard Presidential Guard may refer to: *President Guard Regiment (Bangladesh) * Presidential Guard Regiment (Turkey) *Presidential Guard (Greece) * Presidential Guard (Belarus) * Presidential Guard (South Vietnam) *President's Own Guard Regiment (Ghana ...

. The Guard is a special unit of the

Sierra Leone Armed Forces The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 Si ...

. The

Sierra Leone Police The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) is the national police force of the Republic of Sierra Leone. It is primarily responsible for law enforcement and crime investigation throughout Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Police is under the jurisdiction of ...

, who are responsible for road traffic control around the State House, clear traffic and assist with security when the presidential

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

moves within any part of the country. The State House is closed to the general

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

, and only authorized persons and vehicles are permitted access.

Staff

The president's senior staff members have offices inside the State House. These include the office of the president's Chief Minister,

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

, and the presidential

press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dut ...

. The offices of the Aide de camp to the president, the Ministry of Political Affairs, the national security adviser to the president, the senior political advisors to the president, and the senior economic advisers to the president are all located with the State House.

References

External links

Official website
of the Republic of Sierra Leone State House {{Presidential Palaces in Africa , state=collapsed Buildings and structures in Freetown Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth Official residences Government buildings completed in 1895 Houses completed in 1895