Akon’s Failed Futuristic City Is Being Turned Into A Resort
Akon’s plans to build a multibillion-dollar city development in Senegal have been scrapped by the country’s authorities, according to Bloomberg.
Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of the Senegalese tourism authority Sapco, said, “The Akon City project no longer exists,” and shares that the plans will now be replaced with a more realistic partnership with Akon.
Akon’s plan for a futuristic city in Senegal
Akon first shared plans for the city in 2018. It’s designed to feature futuristic skyscrapers and pan-African symbolism, which was compared to Wakanda, Marvel’s fictional African nation from the Black Panther films. However, by the middle of 2024, local leaders reported that they were still awaiting the project’s completion, and residents who were waiting for jobs had expressed their frustrations.
Last year, Sapco gave Akon two weeks to begin work on the development or risk forfeiting the land in Mbodiène, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Senegal’s capital, Dakar. Most of the land was reclaimed after Akon missed payments to Sapco.
Newsweek reported that Akon City’s reliance on Akoin as its primary payment method was a key factor. The cryptocurrency dropped to a shocking $0.003, and some regulators in Senegal questioned its legitimacy.
What are Sapco planning now?
Now, Sapco will invest 665 billion CFA francs ($1.2 billion) in the area to build hotels, apartments, a marina, and a promenade that will connect the area to a nearby lagoon. The project will still take place with Akon, as Mboup says, “What Akon’s preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support.”
The government expects its plan to deliver on part of the original plan to create around 15,000 jobs in the first phase, as stated by Sapco.
“May this resort serve as a model for success in Senegal, a hub for tourism and a source of economic opportunity,” Mayor Alpha Samb said at a sod-turning ceremony on Tuesday.
Image: Alekandra London/Getty Images
