🚫 Akon City Cancelled: Futuristic $6bn Project in Senegal Officially Scrapped
DAKAR, SENEGAL – July 2025 – The ambitious plan to build a $6 billion “Akon City” in Senegal, inspired by futuristic ideals and powered by cryptocurrency, has been officially scrapped, Senegalese authorities confirmed this week.
Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of Senegal’s tourism development body Sapco, told the BBC that the megaproject envisioned by US-Senegalese singer Akon will not move forward in its original form.
“The Akon City project no longer exists,” Mboup declared. “Fortunately, an agreement has been reached… What he's preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support.”
🎵 From Chart-Topper to City Planner
Akon, born Alioune Badara Thiam, rose to global fame in the 2000s with hits like Locked Up and Lonely. In 2018, he turned his focus toward transforming African society through futuristic city-building and crypto-finance.
Akon City, initially touted as the “Wakanda of the real world,” was meant to be a modern metropolis powered by Akoin, a cryptocurrency he also launched. Renderings showed gleaming skyscrapers with curvaceous architecture, and the project gained international buzz.
🏗️ Empty Promises on Empty Land
But reality didn’t match the vision. Today, the 800-hectare plot in Mbodiène, about 100km from Dakar, remains largely undeveloped. A single, unfinished reception building stands amid the empty site — with no roads, no homes, and no power infrastructure in sight.
“We were promised jobs and development,” a local resident told the BBC. “Instead, nothing has changed.”
Akon’s Akoin cryptocurrency has also stumbled. Investors were left disappointed, and the artist himself admitted to mismanagement:
“It wasn't being managed properly — I take full responsibility for that,” Akon said.
💱 Crypto Dreams Meet Legal Walls
Legal hurdles compounded the project's failure. Akon City was designed to run on Akoin, but Senegal’s official currency, the CFA franc, is regulated by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) — which, like many central banks, has pushed back against cryptocurrencies.
As a result, even if Akon City had been built, using Akoin as its official currency could have been illegal.
🔄 Shift to a “Realistic Project”
Senegalese authorities say Akon is now working on a scaled-down, more practical development, though few details have been released.
While the end of Akon City may disappoint fans and followers of the visionary dream, officials and observers hope the next chapter will be grounded in realistic planning, sustainable investment, and achievable goals.
