The State House of the Republic of Namibia is the

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

and workplace of the

President of Namibia The president of the Republic of Namibia is the head of state and the head of government of Namibia. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of Namibia, as chair of the Cabinet and is the commander-in-chief of the armed fo ...

. Located in the Auasblick suburb of

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...

, the State House was constructed by

Mansudae Overseas Projects Mansudae Overseas Projects is a construction company based in Jongphyong-dong, Phyongchon District, Pyongyang, North Korea. It is the international commercial division of the Mansudae Art Studio. As of August 2011, it had earned an estimated US ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

from September 2002 to March 2008, a total of 66 months. It is one of four major public works projects Mansudae constructed in Namibia, the other three being Heroes' Acre, Okahandja Military Museum and the Independence Memorial Museum. The administrative building cost 400 million

Namibian dollar The Namibian dollar (symbol: N $; code: NAD) has been the currency of Namibia since 1993. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively N$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 ...

History

The State House was designed by the

n company,

, and built in 66 months In September 2002, at the end of his term,

Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, (; born 12 May 1929) is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first President of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and the first ...

, the first President of Namibia, had construction begin on the new building, to replace the old State House in the inner city,Catherine Sasman (20 March 2008
New State House for New Nation.
''allafrica.com'' (retrieved 1 November 2009) because the office space in the old State House and the very inadequate parking was too small.Christof Maletsky (25 March 2008
No price on 'People's House'.
''

The Namibian ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (retrieved 1 November 2009) On 21 March 2008, the Namibian President opened

Hifikepunye Pohamba Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1936) is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 presidential election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO, and wa ...

's house in the presence of

Kim Yong-nam Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

, chairman of the Presidium of the

Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-yea ...

, and the Cuban General Leopoldo Cintra Frias. The presidential residence was initially not finished completely, the Cabinet Secretary had to commute between the Old State House and the new building. On 2 September 2008, the first Cabinet meeting was held. On 4 June 2010, the president officially moved to the new presidential residence. According to unofficial estimates, the construction cost was between 413.2 million and 600 million Namibian dollars. Forty Namibian subcontractors and suppliers were involved in the project. Another 100 Namibians were working on the project.

Structure of the complex

The site covers 25 hectares and is bordered by a two-kilometer long steel fence. At each corner of the fence, there are dark-glassed towers and large guard rooms The administrative area consists of the Office of the President, the offices of cabinet members and 200 staff offices of the president. A guest house for visiting heads of state to state and two apartments for more state visitors is a little off, as the residence of the President. There are also garages and accommodation for police forces and security personnel. Opposite the main gate on the opposite side of the road there are two helipads. About the park-like grounds are animal replicas (e.g. kudu and elephants ) made of copper. In the entrance hall is a painting of the members of the first Namibian Cabinet, including as Sam Nujoma, Hifikepunye Pohamba,

Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (born 3 August 1941) is a Namibian politician, serving as the third president of Namibia since 21 March 2015. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002, and served as prime minister again from 201 ...

Theo-Ben Gurirab Theo-Ben Gurirab (23 January 1938 – 14 July 2018) was a Namibian politician who served in various senior government positions. He served as the second Prime Minister of Namibia from 28 August 2002 to 20 March 2005, following the demotion and ...

Ben Amathila Ben Amathila (born 1 October 1938 in Walvis Bay) is a retired Namibian politician. Amathila served in the government of Namibia with SWAPO from independence in 1990 until his retirement in April 2007. From 1990 to 1993 he served as Minister of ...

Libertina Amathila Libertina Inaviposa Amathila ( née Appolus, born 10 December 1940) is a Namibian physician and politician. She was the deputy Prime Minister of Namibia from 2005 to 2010. Early life Amathila was born in Fransfontein, Kunene Region. Under the SW ...

Hidipo Hamutenya Hidipo Livius Hamutenya (17 June 1939 – 6 October 2016) was a Namibian politician. A long time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet of Namibia from independence in 1990 to ...

and Gert Hanekom. Before the door to the two-storey entrance hall, a wood carving shows a representation of women from all ethnic groups in the country. On the opposite wall at this level there is a large painting of the Epupa Falls, painted in 2005 by a Korean artist.

Old State House

The Old State House is located on Robert Mugabe Avenue in the Windhoek Central Business District, near the Christ Church. Due to its central location and close buildings, an expansion of the building was not possible, so the new State House had to be built. On 20 July 2010, the cabinet decided that the old state house would be used as the residence and office of the

Prime Minister of Namibia The prime minister of the Republic of Namibia is the leader of the Government of Namibia. The prime minister is appointed by the President of Namibia and co-ordinates the work of the Cabinet. They also advise and assist the president in the exe ...

.Premier zieht ins alte Staatshaus, 11 August 2010
/ref>

References

{{Presidential Palaces in Africa Buildings and structures in Windhoek Government of Namibia Government buildings completed in 2008 Mansudae Overseas Projects 2008 in Namibia Presidential residences