Rapper Akon’s plans to build a futuristic city in Senegal are not taking off, according to the BBC. The project, named Akon City, was launched in 2020 and was expected to cost 6 billion dollars (5 billion euros).
Akon had ambitious plans to build a city near Mbodiène on the coast of Senegal. The designs for Akon City, including tall skyscrapers, were compared by some to the fictional city of Wakanda from the Black Panther films.
The artist and businessman wanted to create a lot of employment in Senegal with the construction of Akon City. The city was to become a tourist attraction for Black Americans and other groups dealing with racism. Akon, son of Senegalese parents, was born in the United States himself. However, he spent part of his youth in the West African country.
In 2022, Akon gave his word that the city would really come. According to the ambitious plan, a hospital, shopping center and police station should already be in place by the end of 2023. But after five years, little has come of the plans. According to the BBC, there is only one building on the site, which is not yet finished.
Officials cite a lack of funding as a reason for stopping the project. “The Akon City project no longer exists,” Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of tourism agency Sapco, told the BBC. He says the Senegalese-American artist will now work on a more realistic project, which is fully supported by Sapco.
Akon, known for songs like Lonely, Smack That and Ghetto, also launched a plan for his own cryptocurrency, which was to be used in the city. Things did not go well with that Akoin either.