The solution fun City Awka

Today, the biggest combination of an amusement park and water park in the south east – and, as it were, in Nigeria – will be opened to the public and its customers with a mega fiesta, which will feature music maestros and entertainers such as Flavour, Umu Obiligbo, Jeriq, Apete and the likes. This complex, also known as ‘Solution Fun City’, was commissioned last month by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The 12.7 hectares Solution Fun City competes with the likes of Hi-Impact Planet in Ogun State and Giwa Gardens Water Park in Lagos. The Solution Fun City has features such as roller coaster, Ferris Wheel (38m diameter), drop tower, pirate ship, merry-go-round, carousel, Olympic-sized and kids’ swimming pools, island pools, water slides, aqua towers, paintball, indoor arcades, indoor cinemas, virtual reality and gaming zones, bowling alleys, tennis courts, basketball courts, five-a-side football court, volley ball court, etc. It also has a Country Club with spas, gyms, swimming pool and restaurants. It is designed to be carbon neutral with the beautiful landscaping, lawns and ornamental trees.

The Solution Fun City is one of the signature projects by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to transform Anambra into a tourist destination. It is part of Governor Soludo’s tourism and creative economy agenda. It is a flagship project and a proof of concept by the state government in order to spur the private sector to build similar complexes in Anambra. (It is a flagship project that is intended to boost investor confidence in Anambra’s development agenda). It is meant to catalyze tourism in Anambra.

The Solution Fun City will be independently managed and in the long term it will be privatized and the revenue ploughed back to build more public goods in Anambra. Though the Anambra State Government (ANSG) had to invest in this complex in order to intentionally catalyze tourism in Anambra, this kind of edifice is better managed by the private sector. The Solution Fun City serves as a template, which has been intentionally built by government, to show the private sector that this kind of facility is viable in Anambra. Many more of this will be built in Anambra in the coming years by the private sector.

In order for this complex to be run as an independent entity, it has been registered as Solution Fun City Limited, with a board of directors. Solution Fun City Limited is structured to be able to take independent decisions that would boost the profitability of the Fun City. It will have no interference from government. The Fun City has an Egyptian Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mohammed Faraz, who is well-versed in tourism management. Mr. Mohammed Faraz will be responsible for ensuring that the Fun City provides world-class services. The vision is to get the Solution Fun City managed and run by the best and brightest. Ndi Anambra must get value for the investment in this complex.

The economic and social benefits of the Solution Fun City are enormous.

The Solution Fun City will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs. It will help create a skill pool that was hitherto not available in the state. This facility will employ the following specialties: ICT specialists, ride operators, equipment maintenance operators, security service providers, customer service providers, lifeguard services, entertainment, vending and sales, cleaning, etc. The facility will also create indirect jobs for the following: local suppliers, contractors, transport operators, hotels, restaurants, and artisans. It will also provide various kinds of seasonal and permanent jobs.

It will boost tourism income in Anambra by attracting domestic and international tourists, families, school groups, fun seekers and corporate social events. It will impact hotel bookings, food sales and general spending in Anambra. It will have an impact on the government revenue through its multiplier effects.

The Solution Fun City will help provide a safe and structured leisure location for young people. It will support community cohesion through recreational events. The Managing Director, Mr. Mohammed Faraz, says the entry fees into the Fun City were made affordable so that people can enjoy themselves without spending so much. “The minimum price for entry is N400 and to play a game is N1,000 and I believe they are reasonable”, Mr. Faraz remarked. At the same time, the Fun City will be professionally run in other to maximize the return on investment. It is an economic asset for Ndi Anambra.

Most importantly, it will help enhance Awka’s brand as a modern city, a vibrant place to live, work, play and invest.

Many more of this kind of facility is expected to spring up in Anambra. The future of Anambra is bright and Anambra is on the rise!

Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on special projects.