Akon’s $6 Billion Futuristic City in Senegal Officially Abandoned: Government Shifts Focus to Realistic Alternative

Edited By: Aminata Diallo

The Senegalese government has confirmed the cancellation of Akon’s ambitious $6 billion smart city project, originally envisioned as a groundbreaking model of African innovation and urban development. The futuristic “Akon City,” inspired by Marvel’s Wakanda, will no longer materialize, officials told the BBC.

Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of the state tourism agency SAPCO, stated: “The Akon City project no longer exists. However, a new agreement has been reached between SAPCO and entrepreneur Alioune Badara Thiam [better known as Akon] for a more realistic project that we will fully support.”

Unveiled in 2018, the Akon City plan was touted as a symbol of pan-African progress. It was to be powered by its own cryptocurrency, Akoin, and feature futuristic architecture and eco-friendly infrastructure across 800 hectares in Mbodiène, 100 kilometers south of Dakar. Initial renderings drew comparisons to the fictional kingdom of Wakanda, setting expectations sky-high.

But seven years later, the site remains largely barren. Only an incomplete reception building stands; there are no roads, housing, or utilities. Local residents, once hopeful for jobs and development, now express disillusionment. “We were promised jobs and progress,” one told the BBC. “Instead, nothing has changed.”

Meanwhile, Akoin — the digital currency designed to power the city’s economy — has faltered. Akon admitted in an earlier interview that the cryptocurrency project “wasn’t being managed properly” and took personal responsibility for its shortcomings.

Beyond logistical and financial setbacks, the project faced legal challenges. Senegal’s currency, the CFA franc, is issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), which, like many central banks, has voiced opposition to cryptocurrency as a legal tender.

The original vision for Akon City included hospitals, shopping malls, schools, a police station, waste management facilities, and solar energy plants — all to be completed in the first phase by the end of 2023. But despite high-profile announcements and Akon’s repeated assurances — including one in a 2022 BBC interview claiming the project was “100,000% moving” — construction never advanced beyond the initial ceremonial launch.

Officials now say the lack of funding and absence of concrete development made it impossible to proceed. However, the Senegalese government and Akon have agreed to shift focus toward a more achievable development plan for the Mbodiène site.

With Senegal set to host the 2026 Youth Olympic Games and tourism on the rise, authorities maintain that the land still holds strategic value. SAPCO expressed confidence that the revised project will better align with the country’s infrastructure goals and development realities.

Though the dream of building a “crypto-powered Wakanda” may have ended, Akon’s involvement in Senegal’s development continues—albeit on a far more grounded and pragmatic scale.