- Akon’s R106-billion futuristic city project in Senegal officially cancelled after years of no progress or development.
- Government confirms only empty land remains where promised hospital, schools and solar-powered buildings were supposed to be built.
Akon’s big dream to build a futuristic city in Senegal has been officially cancelled after years of broken promises and empty land.
The government has confirmed that the project, known as Akon City, will no longer happen the way it was planned.
Serigne Mamadou Mboup, the head of Senegal’s tourism agency SAPCO, told the BBC: “The Akon City project no longer exists.”
He added that SAPCO has now made a new agreement with Akon to work on a more realistic project that they will fully support.
Akon, a singer known for his 2000s music hits, announced the Akon City plan in 2018. The project was expected to cost R106-billion and would be powered by a new cryptocurrency called Akoin.
The designs for the city looked like something from the movie Black Panther, full of tall, curvy buildings and clean energy.
The city was supposed to have a hospital, school, police station, mall, waste centre and solar power by the end of 2023.
But today, the site, 100km south of the capital Dakar, is almost empty. Only one unfinished reception building stands there. There are no roads, houses or power.
“We were promised jobs and development,” a local resident said. “But nothing has changed.”
Akon admitted that the Akoin cryptocurrency was not managed well and said, “I take full responsibility for that.”
There were also concerns that using Akoin as the main money in the city would not be legal in Senegal, since the country uses the CFA franc, which is controlled by the Central Bank of West African States.
Despite Akon saying in 2022 that the project was “100,000% moving,” no real building work was done after the launch event.
Now, the government says the dream city is officially cancelled due to a lack of money and progress.
But they are still working with Akon on a new, more practical project on the same land. This area is still important, especially with the 2026 Youth Olympic Games coming and more tourists expected in the future.
