State House, Sierra Leone

The State House
The State House
	State House Location in central Freetown
Former names	Fort Thornton
General information
Address	State Avenue, Tower Hill, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Coordinates	8°29′12.21″N 13°14′2.1″W / 8.4867250°N 13.233917°W
Current tenants	Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, and their family
Completed	1895 (122 years old)
Inaugurated	1894
Owner	Government of Sierra Leone
Landlord	Government of Sierra Leone

The State House is the official residence of the President of Sierra Leone. It is home to the offices of the president, senior presidential staff and and associated aides. The State House is located at State Avenue, Tower Hill, in central Freetown.

History

The State House is located on State Avenue, Tower Hill, in central Freetown.^[1] It was built in 1895 and was initially referred to as Fort Thornton. During the colonial period it was the residence of the Governor of Sierra Leone. It was the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sierra Leone from 1961 – 1971, 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. The Guard is a special unit of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces. The Sierra Leone Police, who are responsible for road traffic control around the State House, clear traffic and assist with security when the presidential convoy moves within any part of the country.

The State House is closed to the general public, 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, and the presidential press secretary. 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.