Last August, we told you about Akon’s plans to build “Akon City,” a $6 billion Wakanda-inspired city of tomorrow. With 136 acres of land granted by the Senegalese government, his futuristic metropolis, located just outside the capital city of Dakar, would include state-of-the-art condos, amusement parks, a seaside resort, hospitals and a university, all powered by solar energy, and his Akoin cryptocurrency.
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But don’t start packing your bags just yet. It looks like the lights won’t be coming on in Akon City after all.
Although the first phase of the massive project was originally supposed to be completed by 2023, all that was built was a youth center, a basketball court and a small information center, according to Bloomberg’s reporting.
After several missed payments to the government and a dramatic devaluation of his cryptocurrency, Akon finally got an ultimatum in 2024. Sapco-Senegal, a state-owned company focused on developing Senegal and driving tourism gave the “Locked Up” artist two weeks to start working on making his idea a reality.
Now, Bloomberg has reported that the head of Sapco-Senegal told the Senegalese press that the idea of Akon City is officially dead.
That project “no longer exists,” Serigne Mamadou Mboup told the Senegalese press.
Instead, the government has taken back the land and Sapco is moving forward with a $1.2 billion plan to turn the area into a tourist destination with with hotels, apartments, a marina and promenade.
Jean Wally Sene, who is a teacher and resident of Mbodiène, where Akon’s land was located, hopes that the new government project will help stimulate the economy and make it a place people want to stay.
“For a very long time, people, including Akon, have been coming here trying to sell us dreams and illusions,” Sene told Bloomberg. “Finally, there’s a dream for Mbodiène that we dare to believe in.”
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