Realistic roleplay, which sets to prepare children for the real world is kidz destination, KidZania‘s; the motto that will be built during the course of the year and launched later in December at Fourways Mall.
The destination will be available to children from three years old to 18 years old, as they will get the opportunity to learn about different careers and the concept of managing money.
With the several kidz destinations in the world, KidZania Johannesburg is a first to launch in sub-Saharan Africa. It sets to be an approximately 8 000m² replica of an urban commercial eco-system complete with streets, buildings, a transport system and a fully-functioning economy.
According to founder and chief executive officer at Alpha Investment Group, David Ngobeni, each experience is designed to empower children as it will give them the confidence to be their best selves and to inspire great global citizenship.
“We, at Alpha, believe that it is our role to bring this educational, career-focused concept to life. We are building a platform that will create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, and are establishing a safe and fun environment where children can realise their dream career of being a pilot or cabin crew scientist, radio presenter, fireman, surgeon, investment banker, dentist and more,” Ngobeni said.
The kidz destination will have the Boeing 737 which drew huge attention on the streets of Fourways when it was ushered into the mall earlier this year.
The 100 per cent black-owned investment holding company, Alpha Investment Group, will be investing approximately R400 million to bring KidZania to South Africa.
“This initial investment will see the launch of a flagship children’s educational city facility, empower children with informative career choices and create over 500 jobs during development and ongoing operations,” Ngobeni said.
Ngobeni also stated the decision to invest in KidZania and bring the global concept to South Africa was easy as it supports the government’s call for private sector companies to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in the youth, business development and job creation in the country.
Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba said, “The South African economy is in urgent need of professionals across all sectors and the long-term work of developing these skills need to start at an early age, particularly in children up to the age of 18 years.”
The founder of KidZania, Xavier López expressed that the launch of KidZania Johannesburg expanded the franchise’s footprint to 20 countries globally. “There are currently 24 operating facilities with 12 under construction.”
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