Senegal Scraps Akon’s $6 Billion Futuristic City Plan
Plans to build a futuristic city in Senegal, conceived by singer Akon, have been scrapped. Instead, he will work on a more realistic project, officials have confirmed, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
"The Akon City project no longer exists," Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of the state tourism agency, Sapco, told the BBC.
"An agreement has been reached for a feasible project that will have our full support."
Akon, born in the US and raised partly in Senegal, had unveiled two ambitious projects in 2018: a $6 billion city and a digital currency called Akoin.
The city was planned to be built on an area of 800 hectares in Mbodiène, about 100 km from DakaBut after five years, the area is still empty – with only an unfinished reception building and no functional infrastructure.
Local residents express disappointment: "We were promised jobs and development, but nothing has changed."
The Akoin coin also failed, and Akon admitted management errors: "I accept full responsibility."
Plans for Akon City included hospitals, schools, shopping malls and renewable energy, but construction never moved forward.
Obstacles included a lack of funds, legal issues with the use of cryptocurrency, and opposition from the region's central bank.
Despite the failure, the Senegalese government says it is now working with Akon on a new, more feasible project in the same area – which remains strategic with the 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching and the expected increase in tourism.
