In several places worldwide, including Africa, Presidential palaces reveal the wealth and power of the leader and country itself.
Many people call it presidential statehouses, while others call them palaces. These presidential palaces serve as grand residences and office areas of the president or head of a country or state.
Most African presidents have magnificent structures considering their titles.
No doubt, African leaders have a taste for superior and expensive things in life, and their palaces are no exception.
We’ll list in this post the ten (10) biggest presidential palaces in Africa, in descending order according to their sizes.
1. The Unity Palace, Cameroon
The biggest presidential palace in Africa is the Unity Palace, Cameroon (Palais de l’Unité), located in the Etoudi region in Yaounde, Cameroon. It is also the most beautiful presidential palace on the continent.
Highlights of the most significant presidential palace in Africa – Unity Palace, Cameroon
The Unity Palace is Cameroon’s president’s administrative center and residence. It has large and beautifully decorated surroundings, with towering pillars, gardens, lodges, offices, and many other facilities.
Cameroon’s construction of the Unity Palace began in 1980, while its completion and inauguration were in 1982.
A prestigious French-Tunisian Architect Olivier-Clement Cacoub designed the palace, and it cost FCfa 200 billion to complete the project.
2. Abdeen Presidential Palace, Egypt
Egypt’s Abdeen Presidential Palace is the second-largest presidential palace in Africa, sitting on 24 hectares of land (44 feddans).
Egypt has three presidential palaces, but Egypt’s Abdeen Presidential Palace is the largest and the most beautiful.
What makes Abdeen Presidential Palace, Egypt, the second biggest presidential palace in Africa?
Abdeen Presidential Palace is in Egypt’s capital city and heart, Cairo lying on 24 hectares of land.
The original design for the palace was by Long Rousseau, a French architect, in 1863 (completed and inaugurated in 1874). The government later awarded a contract for its renovation to modernize the structure.
Among the outstanding features of the palace is that it serves as the office and home of the country’s government.
The palace serves today as a museum. Others include the extensive gardens, the many government offices, two museums, a library, theatre, saloons, and more. In short, the Abdeen Presidential Palace, Egypt, is an embodiment of the history of Egypt.
3. Union of Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa
The 285 meters long Union of Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa, ranks as the third-largest presidential palace in Africa and one of the tourist attractions in the continent.
A peek at the third-largest presidential palace in Africa
Apart from the 285 meters length of the presidential palace of Union of Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa, the structure features light sandstone adornment. It is among the most visited national heritage of the country.
The Union of Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa, was designed in an English monumental style by Architect Sir Herbert Baker.
The building contractors started the construction in 1909 and completed it in 1913. The complex has three sections, namely;
- The right offices
- Amphitheater, and the
- Left offices.
It has a semi-circle shape and beautiful masterpieces adornment, with many monuments and statues.
4. State House of Namibia, Windhoek
The fourth-largest presidential palace in Africa is the State House of Namibia, Windhoek, covering 25 hectares of land.
The presidential palace in Namibia has huge guard rooms and towers of dark glass enclosed by a long steel fence of two kilometers.
Advancement of State House of Namibia, Windhoek as one of the largest presidential palaces in Africa
The State House of Namibia, Windhoek, is situated at Ausblick suburb in Windhoek, Namibia, serving as the residence and administrative center of the Namibian government.
Construction for the State House of Namibia, Windhoek, began in September 2002 and was completed in March 2008, approximately 66 months. The project amounted to 400 million Namibian dollars within the period.
In addition to the presidential complex and residence, the complex also has offices for 200 staff, lodges for armed force personnel and political leaders, ample parking spaces, and more, all beautifully decorated.
The structure is one of the most beautiful presidential palaces in Africa.
5. The Golden Jubilee House Accra, Ghana
Also called the Jubilee House and formerly the Flagstaff House, the Golden Jubilee House Accra, Ghana is among the largest presidential palaces in Africa.
It is an 11 stories low-rise and 40.14 m height structure that serves dual purposes as Ghana’s president’s office and home.
Features of one of the largest presidential palaces in Africa – the Golden Jubilee House Accra, Ghana
The primary usage of the Golden Jubilee House Accra, Ghana, is for rental apartment’s government office and conferencing space with a parking area.
Reconstruction of the structure, which cost about 40 million US dollars, was completed in November 2008. The project was to enable the facility to meet modern architectural needs. It is also among the most beautiful buildings in Africa.
6. Iavoloha Palace, Antananarivo, Madagascar
A hilltop structure situated 15km to Antananarivo’s south is the Iavoloha Palace, Antananarivo, Madagascar, which ranks among the largest palaces in Africa.
Details of the Iavoloha Palace, Antananarivo, Madagascar, as one of the enormous palaces in Africa
The Iavoloha Palace, Antananarivo, Madagascar, serves as the administrative center and residence of Madagascar’s president.
No doubt it has its beautiful, large, and magnificent features.
The building came as a gift from North Korea to the country around 1975. After three events, one in 1991, 2002, and another in 2009, the country’s government abandoned the palace, and after some years, they renovated it. The building has several offices and residential spaces.
7. Presidential Palace (Gordon’s Palace) Khartoum, Sudan
The Presidential Palace Khartoum, Sudan, is among the largest presidential palaces in the African continent, built-in 1895. Presently, it has many other new structures built by the Chinese, commonly referred to as the Republican Palace complex occupying 150,000 square meters.
Some persons often refer to the Presidential Palace Khartoum, Sudan as the Gordon’s Palace Khartoum, Sudan, or the General Governor’s Palace, Khartoum, Sudan, or the Republican Palace, Khartoum, Sudan. It serves as the administrative office and home to the government of Sudan.
Highlights about the Presidential Palace Khartoum, Sudan
The palace’s construction occurred when the British governor Charles Gordon was in power.
The presidential palace later took a name after the then-governor, who died on the 11th of February 1885 during a rebel attack.
The building is a pre-historic structure adjacent to the Republican Museum (Palace Museum) along the Blue Nile streets.
The palace has enough space for as many people as possible with a new presidential palace building, extensive gardens, a mosque, library, offices, a museum, and a presidential hall.
8. Presidential Palace, Nouakchott, Mauritania
The Presidential Palace, Nouakchott, Mauritania, is Africa’s eighth biggest presidential palace and an iconic landmark in the country. Moreover, it has widespread grounds and gardens built by the Chinese in the 1900s.
General description of the Presidential Palace Nouakchott Mauritania as one of Africa’s biggest presidential palaces
The Presidential Palace Nouakchott Mauritania is the residence of the president of Mauritania in the country’s capital, which is also the city’s center.
It sits at the Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, between the Air Mauritania headquarters and the Nouakchott Friday Mosque.
Adjacent to the United States embassy is the Presidential Palace Nouakchott Mauritania with the Central Bank of Mauritania to the south. The palace is in Lebanese International University’s northeast.
The extensive landscape of the Presidential Palace Nouakchott Mauritania is one of the criteria for ranking it as one of the enormous presidential palaces in Africa. It is also one of the top 10 most beautiful palaces in Africa.
9. State House, Uganda
Uganda has two statehouses; the first and most popular one is in Nsamizi Hill, Entebbe, while the second is in Nakasero, Kampala. State House Entebbe, Uganda, is Africa’s ninth-biggest presidential palace.
It occupies 17,472 square meters, located 40 kilometers south of Uganda’s capital Kampala.
A British architect, Fredrick Spiredone, constructed the palace as awarded by a soldier for the first Ugandan British Commissioner, Sir Harry Johnson.
How the State House Entebbe, Uganda, became one of the enormous presidential palaces in Africa
Note that Entebbe was the first capital of Uganda before Kampala upon the country’s independence.
It was the time when Entebbe was the capital in 1900 that the then-government constructed the State House there through some professional building architects.
It became the Government House until October 1963, when the name was changed to State House by parliament.
Upon renovating the State House Entebbe, Uganda, in 2007, the government expanded it from 1,584 square meters to 17,472 square meters. The renovation was mainly to accommodate visitors at the 2007 CHOGM, especially the Queen of England.
Among the amenities at the State House Entebbe, Uganda include a 500 sitting capacity conference hall, state house of employees offices, recreational center, health clubs, and lodges.
The structure was the first modern building in the country to have a glass window, store, guest room, study room, kitchen, dining, flushing toilet, master bedroom, and pipe-borne water.
10. Presidential Palace, Dakar, Senegal
The 10th biggest presidential palace in Africa is the Presidential Palace Dakar, Senegal, sitting on 20 hectares of land (200000 square meters). The Presidential Palace Dakar, Senegal, is positioned on the Atlantic Oceans shores and serves as the country’s administrative center.
Features/symbol of the Presidential Palace Dakar, Senegal, as one of the enormous presidential palaces in Africa
Apart from being the largest presidential palace in Africa, the Presidential Palace Dakar, Senegal, is among the topmost beautiful in Africa.
Tourists come for a public tour at the castle just as they do at the White House. Though the time only takes place outside the palace, visitors can photograph even the presidential guards who are always in uniform.
Lines of stunning trees surround this palace, a garden with a graceful white vantage. The interior has a French elegance with tapestries and other Senegal arts decorations.
History of the Presidential Palace Dakar, Senegal
Commissioning for the construction of the Presidential Palace in Dakar, Senegal, was in 1902, whereas its launch as a general government palace was on the 28th of June, 1907.
However, completion was around 1907 and became the residence of the French West African governors.
Ernest Roume was the first Governor-General of Senegal to park into the palace. Since then, the castle has opened its door to four of the country’s presidents.
Henri Deglane made the design for the palace, but there have been renovations in the castle over the years to meet modern technology and architecture.
After the renovation by Paul Bechard, who was the then high commissioner of the premises from 1947 to 1951, on the 5th of September, 1960, the first president of the country, Leopard Sedar Senghor, became the first official resident of the palace.
Which country has the largest presidential palace?
It will be challenging to say the country with the largest presidential palace because of the uniqueness of these palaces.
However, by area, the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, is the largest presidential palace in the world, covering 180 acres (728,000 square meters).
The world’s largest palace by volume and floor space is Romania’s Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. At the same time, Balmoral Castle in Scotland is the most extensive palace judging by royal domain.
By floor as a royal domain, the Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain is the largest in the world. Prague and Malbork Castles are the largest castles globally, whereas the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, is the largest globally by floor area.
Which country has the best presidential house?
The best presidential house worldwide is the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey. The palace has spacious 1,000 rooms costing half a million USD.alf a million USD.
Which country has the best statehouse in Africa?
Cameroon’s Unity Palace in Yaounde is Africa’s best and most beautiful statehouse or presidential palace.
Which country has the finest mansion in Africa?
The Executive Mansion, Monrovia, is the finest in Africa, with an 8-floor count serving as the official residence of the President of Liberia. The Government of Liberia owns the mansion.
Conclusion
Africa has one of the most beautiful and largest presidential palaces in the world because of the great taste of its leaders.
The information above describes some of Africa’s government or presidential palaces with details of what makes them outstanding.
