The State House of the Republic of Namibia is the

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

and workplace of the

President of Namibia The president of Namibia is the head of state and head of government of Namibia. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of Namibia, government, acts as chair of the Cabinet of Namibia, Cabinet and is the commander-in-chie ...

. 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, which ...

, the State House was constructed by Mansudae Overseas Projects of

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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

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 Namibia dollar (currency symbol, symbol: $ or N$; ISO 4217, code: NAD) has been the currency of Namibia since 1993. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign ($), or alternatively N$ to distinguish it from other currencies called “d ...

History

The State House was designed by the

n company Mansudae Overseas Projects and built over a period of 66 months. In September 2002, at the end of his term,

Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma ( ; 12May 19298February 2025) was 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 t ...

, 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 both the office space in the old State House and the parking area were inadequate.Christof Maletsky (25 March 2008
No price on 'People's House'.
''

The Namibian ''The Namibian'' is the largest daily newspaper in Namibia. It is published in English and Oshiwambo. History The newspaper was established in 1985 by journalist Gwen Lister as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to ...

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

Hifikepunye Pohamba Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1935) is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 Namibian presidential election, 2004 presidential election overwhelming ...

's house in the presence of Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, and the Cuban General Leopoldo Cintra Frias. Since 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 fenced off by a two-kilometer long steel fence. At each corner of the fence, there are darkened glass towers and large guard rooms The administrative area consists of the Office of the President, the offices of cabinet members and 200 president staff offices. Separate from the office block, are a guest house for visiting heads of state, two apartments for more state visitors, as well as the residence of the president. Other buildings are garages and accommodation for police forces and security personnel. Opposite the main gate on the other side of the road are two helipads. Scattered on 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 Sam Nujoma, Hifikepunye Pohamba,

Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (3 August 1941 – 4 February 2024) was a Namibian politician who served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024. Geingob was the country's first prime minister A prime minister ...

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,

Hidipo Hamutenya Hidipo Livius Hamutenya (17 June 1939 – 6 October 2016) was a Namibian politician. He died aged 77 after a short illness. A long-time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet ...

and Gert Hanekom. At 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 Windhoek Central Business District (short: ''Windhoek Central'') is the inner city area of Windhoek, capital of Namibia. It is surrounded by the suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are often ...

, near the Christ Church. Because of its central location and close proximity to nearby buildings, expansion 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 and coordinates the work of the Cabinet. They also advise and assist the president in the execution o ...

.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